Camp files suit against insurance agency after ex-employee sentenced to prison

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Missouri summer camp has filed a lawsuit against a national insurance agency for advice given after an ex-counselor was sentenced to life in prison for child sexual abuse.

Jeff Anderson & Associates PA, one of the nation’s premier law firms which represents survivors of sexual abuse, announced on Wednesday, July 3, that a church camp in southwestern Missouri, Kanakuk Kamp, has filed a lawsuit against its insurance provider, ACE American Insurance Company.

Court documents indicated that Kanakuk Kamp previously employed a now-imprisoned Pete Newman, an ex-counselor, who was convicted of child sexual abuse. Now, the insurance company will not honor its obligation to make it right for dozens of victims.

“All too often these days, insurance companies block the compensation of child sex abuse victims,” said Jeff Anderson, attorney. “They blame the direct supervisors of predators while ignoring or denying their role in covering up those same crimes.”

In a court filing in 2023, Anderson said Kanakuk Kamp, a faith-based institution, admitted it withheld information about previous abuse victims of Newman’s. Camp officials have argued that their secrecy was a direct result of advice from their insurance adjuster.

“We have been representing survivors for decades, and every week for 40 years, we have been seeing insurers make the decisions to protect Catholic bishops and enablers of sex abuse to avoid responsibility and accountability,” said attorney Jeff Anderson. “This is a pattern and a problem, and it’s time for the insurance companies to take responsibility for its role in the crisis.”

Court records showed a letter from 2010 from ACE American Insurance that recommended the camp not let families know about Newman’s actions to expose it to greater liability. Now, the insurer has attempted to shift all blame to camp officials even though it is partly responsible for those crimes.

“This is a long history of insurer’s participation in concealing crimes and protecting abusers,” Anderson said.

Court records noted that Newman was convicted of child sexual abuse in 2010. The crimes happened in 2007 and 2006 and now Newman will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He was convicted of:

• Two counts of statutory sodomy in the first-degree
• Three counts of statutory sodomy in the second-degree
• Three counts of enticement of a child

KCTV5 has reached out to the insurance company for a statement and awaits its response.

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