A jury has awarded $7.5 million to a man who alleged he was sexually abused by two counselors at a YMCA summer camp west of Gig Harbor in the 1970s, his attorneys announced.
The man, 56, identified only by his initials in a lawsuit filed in March 2022 against YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties, accused the nonprofit of "negligent, reckless, and outrageous failure to protect" him as a boy at Camp Seymour, which he attended over four summers from 1976 to 1979.
The verdict was reached Monday on the second day of deliberations, following a seven-day trial, Pierce County Superior Court records show.
"I think for abuse survivors who have difficulty coming forward, this is a powerful and consequential verdict because it sends a message that they're heard," attorney Mike Pfau, who represented the plaintiff, "T.B.," told The News Tribune on Tuesday.
In a statement, Jill Lubow, a spokesperson for the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties, said that the nonprofit took "very seriously" that children were entrusted into the organization's care.
"We have demonstrated our commitment to youth safety and wellbeing by putting in place robust security protocols, practices, and trainings that protect all members of our community," she said, "including a mandate that every YMCA of PKC staff member and volunteer receive training specific to child safety.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the victim and sincerely hope this provides a measure of peace to this individual and their family."
Lubow said the YMCA didn't dispute T.B.'s claims. His attorneys countered that while the organization admitted liability for the abuse, it had challenged the scope of it and the extent of the plaintiff's damages.
Several victims have brought claims in the past against the YMCA for sexual abuse they said they suffered at Camp Seymour in the 1970s. Three cases that included four victims were settled for undisclosed amounts, according to a search of court records.
Four victims in another case were awarded a total of $860,000 by a jury in early 2020, court records show.
Pfau, whose firm Pfau Cochran Vertetis & Amala, is representing two plaintiffs in a similar and ongoing case filed in December, said that the award to T.B. was "exponentially larger" than other related payouts. Steve Reich, an attorney with the firm who also worked on the case, said the verdict reflected an acknowledgment of the significant harm his client suffered.
T.B. attended the camp between the ages of 8 and 11, according to the civil complaint, which alleged that he was groomed and molested by two counselors who also abused him outside of the camp after gaining the trust of his family.
The complaint alleged that the YMCA, including its then-director, had been made aware that minors at the camp were being sexually abused and didn't intervene.
"Evidence and testimony from prior cases has established that the YMCA not only repeatedly ignored but in fact tried to cover up instances of sexual abuse by its counselors at Camp Seymour prior to, and during the years T.B. attended Camp Seymour," the complaint stated.
One of the counselors named in the complaint, Randy Tollefson, was later convicted of sex crimes in Pierce and King counties, The News Tribune previously reported. He was imprisoned for 16 years before being ordered to the state's center for sexually violent predators on McNeil Island.
While victims of Tollefson's crimes included boys from the camp who also later sued the YMCA, T.B. was not a victim in criminal proceedings, Pfau said.
T.B. carried the weight of the abuse for decades, according to Pfau. The verdict was an emotional moment for his client and allowed him to begin a new chapter, Pfau said, adding that it also showed it was never too late to come forward.
"T.B. had to overcome a lot in his life and this result is affirmation that our legal system can provide justice and accountability for childhood sexual abuse survivors," he said in a statement announcing the verdict.
