Decades Of Sex Abuse Hidden By Madison Square Boys Club: Lawsuit

NEW YORK CITY — The Madison Square Boys Club, a New York City children's organization for underprivileged kids, didn't address repeated child sex abuse from 1950 to 1980, a new lawsuit says.

A new lawsuit filed Monday claims the Madison Square Boys Club, meant to be a "safe haven" for boys from low-income families, instead put them in danger of sexual abuse from a basketball coach and "pool doctor" at a former clubhouse in Manhattan.

"For years, as MSBC claimed that it provided young boys with a safe place to belong and stay out of trouble," said Marsh Law Firm attorney Jennifer Freeman. "It was instead giving serial child predators unfettered and unsupervised access to thousands of New York City children."

The lawsuit against MSBC — now called the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club — names Nicholas "Lefty" Antonucci and Dr. Reginald Archibald as the accused sex abusers.

Antonucci, a basketball coach accused of groping boys, was known for organizing "sleep outs" on the rooftop and was frequently nude inside the locker room, according to the lawsuit.

Archibald, who died in 2007 and was previously accused of abusing children as a doctor at Rockefeller University, which was sued in August, was provided a Madison Square Boys Club office and was able to refer children to his studies at the university, according to the suit.

Despite the repeated sexual abuse, the lawsuit claims, Madison Square Boys Club "failed to conduct an adequate investigation and engaged in inadequate supervision" decades ago and had "acted willfully and in conscious disregard of any need to protect [the children] from Lefty and Archibald."

"There is no excuse or justification for MSBC's conduct," the suit reads.

The Madison Square organization did not comment on the lawsuit itself, but applauded those who did come forward with sexual abuse claims from the 1950s to 1980s.

"Although we cannot comment on the specific claims filed today, we recognize that as an organization — and a society — we have a responsibility to make sure victims of abuse are heard, acknowledged and empowered to heal," the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club said in a statement.

The organization said it now has "strict policies in place to make sure our club members are safe at all times and that our staff is training to identify and report any signs of abuse."

The lawsuit was filed in the wake of sweeping legislation in New York State that allows for survivors of child sexual abuse to seek justice, regardless of how many years later it occurred. Sex abuse lawsuits have since flooded the courts following implementation of the law.

"The survivors who came forward in today's lawsuit have waited decades for a chance to see their abusers brought to justice," said Mike Pfau, a sexual abuse lawyer for Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, who filed the separate lawsuit in August with Marsh Law Firm.

"Their brave choice to demand accountability from the Madison Square Boys Club will empower other survivors to come forward and, we hope, help them find closure as they attempt to move on with their lives," Pfau said.

Marsh Law Firm and PCVA plan to file additional claims, attorneys said.

James Sullivan, a survivor of Archibald's abuse and a retired NYPD police lieutenant, told the Associated Press, "This thing has affected me in all facets of my life — whether it’s married or professional, whatever it is."

The abuse started at age 11, Sullivan, 72, told the AP. He kept it private for nearly 60 years.

"It just creeps into everything," he told the Associated Press. "It tears at your self-worth and your self-image. You feel less of yourself."