Boys Club survivor says Celtic FC could face civil lawsuits from USA and Aus

A Celtic Boys Club survivor has said victims from the USA and Australia could seek compensation from Celtic FC if the forthcoming civil case is a success.

Gordon Woods told the Scottish Daily Express that there were many survivors both in the UK and overseas that could make a claim if Celtic is found to be liable for abuse at the former Boys Club.

Mr Woods claimed it would open the floodgates with survivors of Celtic Boys Club abuse from Australia and the US starting their own class actions about incidents that took place between 1967 and 2005.

READ MORE: Celtic Boys Club survivor says Jim McCafferty could have faced more charges after perv dies in prison

Celtic FC will appear again on March 4 at the Supreme Court in Edinburgh to answer a Civil Action Claim from around 30 people over alleged historic abuse.

The survivor said that he is aware of one case of abuse in the US with a New Jersey law firm involved watching the Scottish action.

Mr Woods speculated that there could be more claims forthcoming if the clubs loses as Celtic Boys Club had taken part in numerous tours to the US and Australia over the years, when boys from those country came into contact with coaches.

One of the potential US cases goes back to a tour to New Jersey that supposedly saw the Celtic directors fly over to the US to speak with the police and the boy's parents.

Mr Woods claimed that once the bosses had returned to Scotland they forced the perpetrator to "resign from the Boy's Club with immediate effect".

He explained that lawyers from the US and Australia are "sitting and waiting for the result of the class action", adding that this could lead to "trouble" for the club.

Previous sexual abuse lawsuits in the USA against sporting clubs and organisations have seen damages worth hundreds of millions of dollars awarded.

The survivor said: "It's not just Thompsons that has clients, there are other solicitors like Digby Brown. They have spoken to several victims who have gotten in touch with me. Digby Brown will launch their own class action.

"This is the first class action to take place, if Thompsons are successful, and I have every confidence they will be, I'm quite sure other solicitors will fall in place and launch their own actions. We are well aware of victims in America in New Jersey, for example."

The solicitors are mounting a US-style "class action" lawsuit under new Scottish laws. The claim will see the survivors form a group which will bring one action in the Court of Session because their claims are similar.

Celtic FC has previously said on the subject: "Given the ongoing legal proceedings, it is not appropriate for us to provide any comment. However, we would reiterate that the club is dealing with these sensitive matters in a responsible manner and in conjunction with its advisers."
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