Michigan Boy Scouts leader accused of grooming and sexual abuse in lawsuit, cites systemic failures.
A Rockwood family has filed a civil lawsuit against an adult Boy Scouts of America leader, alleging he used his position to groom and sexually abuse a minor. The lawsuit also accuses the organization and its Michigan affiliate of failing to enforce basic safeguards designed to prevent abuse.
According to the complaint, the alleged abuse occurred while the child was participating in Troop 508 under the leadership of John Steven Sorovetz, who is accused of abusing the child while serving as an assistant scoutmaster. The suit alleges that Sorovetz used well-recognized grooming techniques and abused his power to harass and attempt to sexually abuse the child.
The lawsuit claims a pattern of grooming behavior that escalated over time, including unwanted physical contact, sexually explicit conversations, and exposure to pornographic material. It also states that Sorovetz isolated the child using one-on-one access to normalize inappropriate behavior.
Experts say the case highlights a broader failure by organizations like the Boy Scouts to protect children from abuse. "This case is about a betrayal of trust," said Todd Flood, founder and managing partner of Flood Law. "It's about a youth organization failing to enforce the safeguards it promised to families. The Boy Scouts of America knew the danger. They wrote rules to protect children like our client. And then they failed to follow them."
The complaint alleges that the organizations ignored warning signs and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent abuse, despite having written policies designed to protect children.
In a similar case in 2022, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged Mark Chapman for allegedly sexually assaulting two boys as part of an investigation into sexual abuse involving the Boy Scouts of America. Chapman was sentenced to 12 to 20 years in prison.
The lawsuit against Sorovetz seeks damages for emotional distress, psychological harm, and other injuries, and alleges gross negligence, negligence, and negligent hiring, retention, and supervision.
A Rockwood family has filed a civil lawsuit against an adult Boy Scouts of America leader, alleging he used his position to groom and sexually abuse a minor. The lawsuit also accuses the organization and its Michigan affiliate of failing to enforce basic safeguards designed to prevent abuse.
According to the complaint, the alleged abuse occurred while the child was participating in Troop 508 under the leadership of John Steven Sorovetz, who is accused of abusing the child while serving as an assistant scoutmaster. The suit alleges that Sorovetz used well-recognized grooming techniques and abused his power to harass and attempt to sexually abuse the child.
The lawsuit claims a pattern of grooming behavior that escalated over time, including unwanted physical contact, sexually explicit conversations, and exposure to pornographic material. It also states that Sorovetz isolated the child using one-on-one access to normalize inappropriate behavior.
Experts say the case highlights a broader failure by organizations like the Boy Scouts to protect children from abuse. "This case is about a betrayal of trust," said Todd Flood, founder and managing partner of Flood Law. "It's about a youth organization failing to enforce the safeguards it promised to families. The Boy Scouts of America knew the danger. They wrote rules to protect children like our client. And then they failed to follow them."
The complaint alleges that the organizations ignored warning signs and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent abuse, despite having written policies designed to protect children.
In a similar case in 2022, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged Mark Chapman for allegedly sexually assaulting two boys as part of an investigation into sexual abuse involving the Boy Scouts of America. Chapman was sentenced to 12 to 20 years in prison.
The lawsuit against Sorovetz seeks damages for emotional distress, psychological harm, and other injuries, and alleges gross negligence, negligence, and negligent hiring, retention, and supervision.
... I mean, I know organizations are supposed to protect us but it feels like they're failing miserably in cases like this, it's just so sad 
. Can you imagine being a kid and trusting someone who's supposed to be looking out for you? It makes me want to scream 
... The fact that he used grooming techniques and isolated the child is just horrific, what even is that? 
I'm all for holding people accountable but this feels like so much more than just a simple case of someone being naughty, it's about a whole system failing 
.
... I mean, can't these organizations just get it together? They have all these rules in place, but nobody ever enforces them. It's like they're just waiting for someone to slip through the cracks so they can cover their own behinds. And now some poor kid has to deal with the trauma because of it... The fact that Sorovetz used "grooming techniques" is just a nice way of saying he was playing on the child's vulnerabilities and manipulating them into doing whatever he wanted. It's disgusting 
.
I'm soooo shocked that someone like John Steven Sorovetz is doing this to kids! The Boy Scouts of America should've done better, you know? They have those rules in place for a reason 
. It's like, they're supposed to protect these kids not abuse them! 
. Can we talk about how they ignored warning signs? That's like, super irresponsible 
. Anywayz, gotta give my love to that victim and their fam 
hoping for justice & recovery 
. I mean, come on, we've all heard stories about how these kinds of organizations are supposed to have zero tolerance for abuse, but it looks like they're not taking it seriously enough. It's always the ones who get hurt who end up having to fight for justice 
.
.
. It's time for these kinds of organizations to take responsibility for their actions and make sure something like this never happens again 
, and the median age of abuse is just 11 years old 
.
. We need more awareness and support for organizations like the Boy Scouts to take action against abuse 
.
. It's time for change... we need better safeguards in place to protect our children 
.
This is just heartbreaking news... another case of a supposed leader exploiting their power & trust over innocent kids 
What's even more infuriating is that they isolated the child, used grooming techniques, and exposed them to explicit material... that's just sick 
. And now we have a lawsuit seeking damages for emotional distress & other injuries... it's just not right 
i mean come on BSA how can u fail so badly? its like ur own ppl r the ones who r supposed to protect kids not abusers 
and it's crazy that the org itself is being sued for neglecting their own rules 
but all we can do now is make sure this never happens again 
. It's not like they didn't know about grooming techniques... it's basic knowledge stuff. And now some kid has to go through what he went through because of it? It's just, ugh. The Rockwood family is getting justice and all, but I feel bad for the kids who have gone through similar experiences. The fact that this happened under the watchful eye of an assistant scoutmaster (who was basically a trusted adult) is just disturbing 
. And now Sorovetz is just going to get off scot-free because he played the 'I'm a respected leader' card 
. I mean, come on guys, if you're not protecting these kids, then what are you even doing there? 
Anyway, it's not like the Boy Scouts are supposed to protect kids from predators or anything... 
Like, come on! You write the rules and then you don't enforce them? That's just basic adulting 101. 
Just saying. 
The fact that experts are saying it's a broader failure of organizations to protect children is just devastating. What needs to change here is the way these orgs are held accountable for their actions.