In an Orange County, California child sexual abuse lawsuit, a man is accusing a Costa Mesa resident of sexually abusing him when he was a teenager attending the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Newport Beach. The plaintiff, who refers to himself as John Doe in his child sex abuse complaint, says that Todd C Summers befriended him and his parents. Summers, now 37, was the roller hockey coach of the boy, who was 12 when they first met.
The plaintiff says that Summers sexually abused him for several years beginning 1990 and until he turned 18 and that he didn't report the incidents because the defendant had threatened to murder him if he did. He even accuses Summers of threatening him by placing a gun in his mouth.
The plaintiff says Summers molested him on the grounds of the Newport Beach Mormon church, in San Diego County, on Catalina Island, and on the premises of Summers' business. The plaintiff's child sexual abuse attorney says that the defendant would orally copulate him, show him pornography, and videotape their sexual encounters.
Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, church officials, and Summer's parents. The California child sexual abuse lawsuit contends that the church should have noted that Summers was noticeably affectionate toward children and that steps should have been taken to protect them from his advances. The complaint contends that Summers's parents, who were senior members of the church, should have noticed that their son's behavior was unusual.
Summers is a videographer and a photographer who works with numerous organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club of America, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, and the Boy Scouts of America.
Child Sexual Abuse
Victims of child sexual abuse are entitled to sue their perpetrators for their personal injuries. In California, child sexual abuse victims must generally file their personal injury lawsuits within 8 years of the age of majority (before the plaintiff's 26th birthday). This, however, does not preclude plaintiffs from filing California child sexual abuse lawsuits afterward (depending upon the date of "discovery" of the child sexual abuse or its ramifications).
This extension is especially helpful to sex abuse victims who may have repressed their memories of being sexually abused. Now, plaintiffs have three years from the time of discovery of the sexual abuse to file their California child sex abuse claim or lawsuit.
Child Sexual Abuse, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Child Sexual Abuse Articles in the News Headlines, Darkness2light.org
