Kanakuk Kamps

For many years, Peter Newman served Branson's Kanakuk Christian sports camp as a counselor and later director. In 2010, he was sentenced to two life sentences — plus 30 years — for sexually abusing boys at the camp.

As KSMU reported previously, HB 709 was prompted by abuse scandal linked to Kanakuk sports camp in the Branson area. The bill would essentially ban nondisclosure agreements as a tool to resolve civil lawsuits over child sexual abuse.

People who say they survived sex abuse at Kanakuk camp near Branson spoke out at a hearing in Jefferson City last week. A bill proposed by an Ozarks lawmaker would restrict nondisclosure agreements signed to settle court cases between sexual abuse survivors and perpetrators.

In the wake of child sex abuse incidents at southwest Missouri’s Kanakuk Christian sports camp, Branson-area lawmakers are filing bills in the Missouri House and Senate aimed at making it easier to file lawsuits seeking damages from perpetrators.

Kanakuk Ministries and its insurer are released from claims of fraud, with statute of limitations impacting sexual abuse survivor’s right to sue.

Peter Newman will continue to serve two life sentences, plus 30 years, at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.

Branson’s Kanakuk sports camp is facing another civil lawsuit, this time from a plaintiff who alleges he was sexually abused when he attended Kanakuk as a kid — and says the camp committed fraud by concealing the actions of a predatory counselor.

Kanakuk Kamps alleges its insurance company discouraged camp leadership from disclosing information about sex abuser to families