HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania – The young man whose 2009 allegations of sexual abuse led to criminal convictions of the former assistant football coach at Penn State is asking a court to find the university also at fault. A lawsuit, filed Friday by the person known as Victim 1 at Jerry Sandusky's trial, said university officials made deliberate decisions not to report Sandusky to authorities. Sandusky, 68, was convicted in June of 45 criminal counts for sexual abuse of boys, both on and off campus. He awaits sentencing that will likely send him to prison for the rest of his life. The case rocked Penn State University, its powerhouse football program and the small community where it is located, and became one of the biggest scandals in the history of US collegiate athletics. A Penn State investigation found school officials kept what they knew from police and other authorities for years, enabling the abuse to go on. The lawsuit describes the actions of university officials as “a function of (Penn State's) purposeful, deliberate and shameful subordination of the safety of children to its economic self-interests, and to its interest in maintaining and perpetuating its reputation.” Victim 1 and his mother reported Sandusky to the boy's high school and the local child protective agency in November 2009. Their complaint triggered the state investigation last year that resulted in the criminal charges against Sandusky and university officials. Former Penn State administrator Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley, who is on leave, have been charged with perjury and failure to report suspected child abuse. Both deny the allegations and are expected to go on trial in January. In the lawsuit, Victim 1 is known as “John Doe C.” The suit draws heavily from court testimony, grand jury investigations and Penn State's own investigative report. University spokesman Dave La Torre said the school has no comment on the pending litigation. — AP
