SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Opening statements have begun in a sex abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America that could bring years of so-called perversion files into the public eye.

Plaintiff's attorney Tim Hale told a Santa Barbara, California, jury Monday that the Scouts didn't do enough to educate Scouts about sexual abuse. He says that would have prevented the abuse.

Attorneys for the Boys Scouts will deliver their statement later.

Hale represents a 20-year-old man who was sexually molested by a volunteer Scout leader in 2007.

He's suing the Boy Scouts for negligence and alleges they didn't do enough to educate parents about the dangers of sexual abuse.

Superior Court Judge Donna Geck has ruled that years of sealed files containing allegations of sexual misconduct could be used as evidence at trial.