Boys & Girls Clubs Sued By Sonoma County Sex Abuse Victims

SONOMA COUNTY, CA – A lawsuit on behalf of four victims of childhood sexual abuse has been filed against Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its local branches, BGC Sonoma Valley and BGC Central Sonoma County, a Los Angeles-based plaintiff trial law firm said in a news release Tuesday. The lawsuit is also filed against Paul Dwayne Kilgore, former athletic director for the Sonoma County clubs, who was sentenced earlier this year for two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child and four counts of committing lewd and lascivious acts.

The lawsuit alleges that the Club received multiple reports from employees, parents and club participants of Kilgore’s sexual abuse spanning more than 10 years, yet intentionally did not report these incidents to authorities allowing Kilgore to continue to sexually abuse the victims, who ranged from 6 to 10 years old.

In 2016, Kilgore, 70, of Sonoma, was arrested and charged with multiple felonies, and in 2018, he was found guilty and sentenced to 150 years in prison.

“Kilgore used his position of authority to gain trust and take advantage of these children by manipulating their emotions and sexually exploiting them,” said Dave Ring, partner at Taylor & Ring and known to take on some of California’s most horrendous sexual abuse cases. “The Boys & Girls Club ratified this sexual abuse because they knew it was occurring as far back as 2002, yet turned a blind eye, allowing him to continue ‘coaching’ young boys unsupervised.”

“The Boys & Girls Club could have prevented most, if not all of the abuse, if they had taken the complaints about Kilgore seriously,” said Natalie Weatherford, co-counsel and trial attorney at Taylor & Ring. “Instead, the club chose to protect its employee, Kilgore, over the children entrusted into its care.”

The law firm provided the following timeline of its allegations:

In January 2002, when Kilgore was hired as the athletic director at the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley (BGSV), his "coworkers quickly noticed that Kilgore was engaging in inappropriate relationships with young boys, including touching them, buying them presents and taking them off premise in his personal vehicle."

The suit alleges that in 2006, at the direction of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Kilgore completed the Club’s Sexual Harassment Test, answering "every single question incorrectly, yet received no feedback or further training."

The lawsuit alleges that during that same year, Kilgore began sexually abusing John Doe 1, who was 10 years old.

Later that same year, Kilgore began abusing John Doe 2, who was 8 years old and the younger brother of John Doe 1, the lawsuit states.

Plaintiffs allege that in 2007, a BGSV participant "reported Kilgore’s inappropriate behavior in the pool locker room, where Kilgore forced minor boys to disrobe in front of him and made inappropriate comments. Nothing was done in response to this complaint."

From 2007 until 2010, BGSV employees "witnessed Kilgore’s inappropriate behavior to John Doe 1, John Doe 2 and several other minor boys, and received complaints from parents regarding his conduct towards young boys, but no action was taken," the suit alleges.

"During that time, Kilgore was assigned to teach sexual health classes for boys, where he used this opportunity to groom several boys and continue his sexual abuse," the plaintiffs state in the lawsuit.

In 2010, "BGSV CEO Dave Pier discussed his intention to 'set boundaries' around Kilgore’s relationships with children, restrict his access to the children and stop Kilgore from taking children off club premises, but nothing ever materialized."

The participant who reported Kilgore’s inappropriate pool locker room behavior reported to BGSV for a second time, yet again, no action was purportedly taken.

During this same time, "Kilgore was assigned as the coach and direct supervisor for John Doe 3 and John Doe 4, eventually leading to their sexual abuse, which would continue over the course of five years."

From 2012 to 2013, "BGSV initiated an investigation into Kilgore’s conduct, uncovering inappropriate behavior, yet did not alert parents or law enforcement of their findings."

Kilgore kept his job for another six months, until he resigned in September 2013.

In 2014, "amidst the allegations and complaints, he was hired by the Boys & Girls Club of Central Sonoma Valley, where he continued his abuse of John Doe 3 and John Doe 4."

In 2016, "a teacher noticed Kilgore inappropriately touching and talking to a group of boys, including John Doe 4. She reported the conduct to the Sonoma Police Department, and Kilgore was arrested and charged with multiple felonies."

In a statement emailed Tuesday afternoon to Patch, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley President and CEO Cary Dacy said BGC Sonoma Valley "has learned that it has been named in a lawsuit involving former Club employee Dwayne Kilgore, who was previously convicted for the sexual abuse of minors."

"Our organization cooperated fully with authorities throughout the investigation and judicial process that led to this conviction, and we will continue to do so in any future proceedings," Dacy said. "The safety and protection of the children we serve remains the number one priority of Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley. Our organization is committed to the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior and does not tolerate inappropriate or illegal activity on the part of any Club staff, volunteer or youth member. All employees and volunteers must undergo a thorough criminal background check. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not comment further on the case until after the legal process has been completed."

Patch also sent email inquiries Tuesday to Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County.

Jennifer Weiss, CEO of BGC Central Sonoma County said in an email to Patch that "Mr. Kilgore was NEVER employed by BGC Central Sonoma County," and that she would need to be better informed of the issue to provide further comment.

BGC of Central Sonoma County operates clubhouses or programs in Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg, West County, Windsor, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma and Marin.

BGC of Sonoma Valley operates clubhouses or programs at Maxwell Farms Regional Park and Maxwell Village in Sonoma, as well at elementary and middle schools in Sonoma.

At the time of Kilgore's arrest, then-CEO of BGC Sonoma Valley Robert Hughes said in a letter to parents that Kilgore resigned from his position at the organization three years ago, and that the club was "shocked and deeply concerned by the developments."

"The safety and well-being of your children is our absolute top priority, and I am confident that we remain the safest place for the youth of our community," Hughes said. "We are fully cooperating with the authorities as they conduct a thorough investigation of this serious matter, and will continue to do so throughout the investigation and legal process."

RELATED:

• Jury Finds Former Boys & Girls Club Employee Guilty Of Sex Abuse
• Former Boys & Girls Director Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Boys
• Former Boys & Girls Club Athletic Director Pleads Not Guilty To Lewd Acts With Minors
• Additional Sex Abuse Charges Filed Against Former Sonoma Valley Boys & Girls Club Employee
• Man Arrested For Alleged Sex Abuse After Suspicious Behavior At Healdsburg Club: Police

Photo courtesy Sonoma County Sheriff's Office