News & Events

A Dorchester County jury awarded teacher and former Assistant Principal of Knightsville Elementary School, Mary Rita Watson a $1,000,000 verdict in a civil lawsuit filed on her behalf involving an incident that occurred at the school in 2009.  Attorney Gregg Meyers of Jeff Anderson & Associates, a Minnesota-based law firm specializing in cases of child sexual abuse with an offic…

HASTINGS, Minn. (KMSP) – Former Rev. Francis Hoefgen was charged Wednesday in Dakota County with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with allegations he sexually abused a former altar boy.The alleged abuse occurred from the spring of 1989 to the fall of 1991 when the boy was 9 to 12 years old. The victim brought the allegations to Hastings police in November 2013, telling investigators he was sexually abused by Hoefgen multiple times as a student and altar boy at St. Boniface Church and school.Hoefgen, now 63, began serving as a priest in the St. Boniface Church in…

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A priest who was convicted of fondling a 12-year-old girl while he was working in the Diocese of Winona has been deported to his native India.Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say 48-year-old Leo Charles Koppala was turned over to authorities in New Delhi on Wednesday.Koppola was charged last June with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He pleaded guilty in March, admitting he fondled the girl while eating dinner at her grandmother’s house.

A third lawsuit filed against Shattuck-St. Mary’s accuses officials at the boarding school in Faribault, Minn., of failing to protect students from a teacher after hearing reports of his sex games and abuse.The suit, filed Tuesday in Rice County, claims that Lynn P. Seibel — a former drama teacher and “dorm parent” — sexually abused the unnamed plaintiff from 2000 to 2001.Seibel, 72, pleaded guilty in July to seven criminal, felony counts for molesting six male students between 1999 and 2003. In October 2013, he was sentenced to 52 months in prison.This week’s lawsuit, filed in Rice County Dis…

A third lawsuit filed against Shattuck-St. Mary’s accuses officials at the boarding school in Faribault, Minn., of failing to protect students from a teacher after hearing reports of his sex games and abuse.The suit, filed Tuesday in Rice County, claims that Lynn P. Seibel — a former drama teacher and “dorm parent” — sexually abused the unnamed plaintiff from 2000 to 2001.Seibel, 72, pleaded guilty in July to seven criminal, felony counts for molesting six male students between 1999 and 2003. In October 2013, he was sentenced to 52 months in prison.This week’s lawsuit, filed in Rice County…

News ReleaseMay 13, 2014Third Civil Suit Filed Against Shattuck-St. Mary’s Further investigation reveals the elite private school knew of teacher and dorm parent Lynn Seibel’s inappropriate behavior with boys in 1999-2000 school year(Faribault, MN) – Today in Rice County District Court a sexual abuse survivor, Doe AB, and his attorneys filed a civil lawsuit alleging Shattuck-St. Mary’s, an elite private school in Faribault, MN, knew of Lynn Seibel’s sexually inappropriate behavior with male students but failed to take action. Doe AB was sexually abused from 2000-2001 while he was a studen…

HELENA — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena is giving notice that sex abuse victims have until Aug. 11 to file a claim as part of the diocese’s bankruptcy proceedings. Monday’s notice by the diocese is part of a federal court order. Anyone who was sexually abused by an employee of the diocese, or who believes the diocese is liable for their abuse before the Jan. 31 bankruptcy filing, can file a claim by 4:30 p.m. Aug. 11.Claim forms can be obtained from the diocese and they preserve the abuse victims’ rights in the bankruptcy case.

 Attorneys for a sexual abuse survivor, John Doe 180, have reached a settlement of all claims involving the Boy Scouts of America in the matter relating to the actions of Scoutmaster Peter Stibal. Jeff Anderson, one of John Doe 180’s attorneys stated, “This courageous survivor and others like him are hopeful that the Boy Scouts of America have done and will do, a better job warning, informing, and telling the truth about the known hazard in scouting, namely that sexual predators …

The following colleges and universities are currently facing a Title IX investigation over their handling of sexual abuse complaints.ArizonaArizona State UniversityCaliforniaButte-Glen Community College DistrictOccidental CollegeUniversity of California-BerkeleyUniversity of Southern CaliforniaColoradoRegis UniversityUniversity of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of Colorado at DenverUniversity of DenverConnecticutUniversity of ConnecticutDistrict of ColumbiaCatholic University of AmericaFloridaFlorida State UniversityGeorgiaEmory UniversityHawaiiUniversity of Hawaii at ManoaIdahoUniversity of Id…

An attorney representing a number of people who have filed medical malpractice lawsuits against a former Eau Claire pediatrician said Wednesday that at least two more civil suits can be expected.Michael Finnegan, during a motion hearing in Eau Claire County Court, told Judge Michael Schumacher that two more claims would soon be filed against David A. Van de Loo, Mayo Clinic Health System and their insurers.Finnegan made the statement during a hearing to postpone depositions today of a total of four current or former Mayo employees.Finnegan said his St. Paul law firm, which represents a number …