Rock-toppling Scout leader filed injury lawsuit weeks before pushing rock


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GREEN RIVER — The plot has thickened in the case of the Utah Boy Scout leader caught on tape knocking over an ancient rock formation in Goblin Valley State Park.

Glenn Taylor claimed he was protecting people from the fragile rock just weeks after he filed a lawsuit saying he suffered serious, permanent and debilitating injuries in a car crash four years ago.

Alan MacDonald and his 16-year-old daughter, Cassie MacDonald, who was the driver of the car that hit Taylor's vehicle, are named in the lawsuit. The MacDonalds are outraged over the video of Taylor pushing the heavy rock.

"I was surprised that the man who pushed over this 2,000-pound rock formation was the one suing me for disability," Cassie said.

According to court documents, the car accident that Taylor claims caused his injuries happened four years ago. Three other cars including Taylor's were hit, but Cassie and her dad said no one has pressed charges until now.


I was surprised that the man who pushed over this 2,000-pound rock formation was the one suing me for disability.

–Cassie MacDonald


Cassie, a junior at BYU, and her father haven't yet been served with lawsuit papers. MacDonald was only recently notified of the case by his insurance company.

The father and daughter saw the viral video of Taylor wiggling and pushing over the boulder, but until this weekend, they didn't realize it was the same man suing them for more than $5,000 in medical costs for "great pain and suffering, disability, impairment, (and) loss of joys of life."

In September, 2009, Cassie was driving her mother's Nissan Armada in American Fork. She said the speed limit was about 35 miles per hour. It was raining. When she saw cars stopped ahead, she said she tried to brake and slid into four cars including Taylor's. No one involved, according to Cassie, reported injuries or filed suit.

"Only Mr. Taylor knows the reason why it took four years to file a lawsuit," Alan said.

KSL was unable to reach Taylor's attorney for comment. In a previous interview with KSL, one of the troop leaders claimed the rock was pushed over for the safety of others in the park. A Utah State Parks spokesperson has asked that possible criminal charges be considered.

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