Men bringing suit against Pak's Karate Academy owner under Georgia's Hidden Predator Act

KINGSLAND, Ga. — Seven men are seeking justice under the new Georgia Hidden Predator Act, which removes a statute of limitations and allows them up to two years to sue.

These men say a decorated karate instructor and business owner abused them for years.

The law opens a two-year retroactive window for victims to sue their alleged attackers in civil court. They have until July 2017 to file a complaint. This will be the first lawsuit filed in Georgia under this law.

The men came to Jacksonville with their attorneys to make the announcement about the suit. The complaint claims that Warren Craig Peeples gained their trust and sexually abused them over several years.

Justin Conway loved karate as child. He spent years training to be the best.

But he said one man stole his childhood dreams — his mentor and instructor, Peeples, the owner of Pak's Karate Academy in Kingsland.

"It's destroyed my family, my livelihood," Conway said.

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We first told you earlier this year that Peeples was under investigation for the sex abuse allegations.

The state attorneys found sufficient evidence to charge him, but couldn't because of the statute of limitations.

"We were told the courthouse doors were slammed shut. And we refused to take that as an answer," Conway said.

Now, under the new Georgia Hidden Predator Act, Conway and the other five men who share his story of abuse can take civil action, and they are.  

"We are not going to be able to send him to jail but we will be able to shift the cost of the abuse from the victims, who are now carrying that heavy load, over to the individuals and entities that caused the abuse," said lawyer Marci Hamilton.

The complaint alleges that the kids were victims of sexual battery and molestation and that Peeples abused them during out-of-town trips.

"We have to live this every day, being whispered about in the grocery store and horrific things that have been said about us in the community," Conway said.

Despite the alleged horror, the men refuse to stay silent, hoping more people will find the courage to do the same.

Peeples is still in business, teaching karate to kids in Kingsland. We called his office to get a response, but a woman said he wasn't there.

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