Another Citadel camper supervised by sex offender Louis “Skip” ReVille has filed a lawsuit against the military college.
ReVille was a counselor at Citadel summer sports camps from 2001 to 2003. He pleaded guilty in June 2012 to molesting 23 boys over several years. At least a half dozen former campers have sued The Citadel on the grounds that the leadership knew about his offenses, did nothing to stop him and tried to cover up the problem.
A plaintiff identified as Camper Doe 6 filed a complaint against The Citadel on Monday in the Court of Common Pleas in Charleston. He claims that ReVille sexually molested him on several occasions during the summer of 2003.
This was ReVille’s third summer as a camp counselor. The suit alleges that The Citadel’s leadership knew that ReVille had sexually abused several other boys and should have fired him before he abused the plaintiff. Furthermore, another counselor caught ReVille alone in a room rubbing ointment on the camper’s leg, a policy violation that should also have resulted in ReVille’s termination, according to the complaint.
The complaint also alleges that The Citadel’s leadership refused to allow the camper to report ReVille’s actions.
The plaintiff returned to camp as a counselor himself in the summer of 2006. His training included a segment on child sex abuse. He said he recalled his experience with ReVille and felt he should report it. As soon as he mentioned ReVille’s name to the camp director, she claimed to have another engagement and canceled their meeting, the complaint alleges. The camper said he was told to leave the camp and go back home.
“The Citadel chose to terminate Plaintiff without just cause to avoid the damaging ramifications such a report could have on the college,” according to the complaint.
The former camper said he tried to call The Citadel a few months later to report ReVille. He got passed around and never called back until finally gave up, according to the complaint.
ReVille’s actions became public when he was arrested in 2011.
The complaint is asking for a jury trial for actual, punitive and other damages and an order for The Citadel to report all instances of sexual abuse at the camps.
Charleston lawyer Carl Pierce is the lead attorney who signed the complaint.
The Citadel has 30 days to respond.
Reach Dave Munday at 937-5553 or twitter.com/dmunday.
