A Connecticut judge says the Greenwich Boys and Girls Club failed to provide proper staff supervision and training and did not have a system in place to report abuse.

Judge John Kavanewsky is overseeing a sexual abuse lawsuit in which six men claim they were bullied and assaulted by a teenage supervisor in the 1970s and 1980s, NBC Connecticut reports. 

At a pretrial hearing Jan. 22, Judge Kavanewsky said that the Greenwich Boys and Girls Club had a “very lax method of conducting its operations” at the time of the alleged abuse.

BGCA Supervisor Used His Position to Abuse Children, Victims Say

Four child sexual abuse lawsuits allege Andrew Atkinson, a locker room supervisor employed by the Greenwich Boys & Girls Club, was responsible for the abuse, although Greenwich Time notes he is not named as a defendant. He was reportedly a teenager at the time of the alleged abuse and has denied abusing any children.

Three of the lawsuits include the six male defendants discussed above and their case is expected to go to trial this summer. A fourth lawsuit was withdrawn in order to be refiled in New York because some of the alleged abuse occurred in that state.

The victims say Andrew used his position to physically and sexually abuse children at the club and at off-site locations. The lawsuits include allegations of bullying, rape, sodomy, and physical assault.

One of the victims was allegedly 6 years old at the time of the abuse. 

At the pretrial hearing, the victims reportedly testified about children being stuffed into lockers, wet towels snapping and verbal abuse that escalated into violence and sexual abuse.

The club’s director and other adult employees knew about the abuse but failed to do anything to stop it, according to the Boys and Girls Club lawsuits. 

“There was horseplay everywhere,” one of the victims testified at a pretrial hearing. “If you cried, you were a wimp.”

The Greenwich Boys & Girls Club is not the only one facing legal scrutiny over allegations of child sexual abuse.

Victims Sought $19 Million in Damages

An attorney for the victims is seeking $19 million in damages to be split between the victims to compensate them for physical injuries, mental distress, and the potential loss of earnings. At the pretrial hearing, Judge Kavenewsky ruled that damages would be set at $4.5 million. He also ordered the Greenwich Boys and Girls Club to provide more information before the case goes to trial.

“The court finds that all of the plaintiffs will likely require some measure of mental health intervention for the rest of their lives,” the judge said, per Greenwich Time. “And that’s not to even speak of the interventions they have had to date.” 

The Boys and Girls Club of America had been the subject of an increasing number of child sexual abuse claims allegedly perpetrated by adults and teenagers affiliated with the organization. If this happened to you or someone you love, you may be eligible to join a free Boys and Girls Club sexual abuse investigation.