News Release
October 4, 2013
Former Shattuck-St. Mary’s Teacher Lynn Seibel
Sentenced to 52-month Prison Term Today
New details emerge in second sexual abuse lawsuit filed
(Faribault, MN) – A Rice County judge sentenced former Shattuck-St. Mary’s teacher Lynn Seibel, to 52 months in prison today after Seibel pled guilty in July for sexually abusing six male students at the elite private boarding school in Faribault, Minnesota. As an AP Drama teacher and dorm parent, Seibel encouraged “naked dance parties,” showed students pornography, and held group masturbation sessions with underage boys. Seibel must register as a sex offender, participate in a treatment program and cannot have access to print or digital materials that are sexually explicit in nature.
One of Seibel’s victims who attended Shattuck from 2000-2004, along with his attorneys Jeff Anderson & Associates, filed a lawsuit today in Rice County alleging sexual abuse by Seibel and naming the school as defendants. In addition to the naked dance parties and pornography viewing, Seibel sexually abused students after locking the doors to a classroom adjacent to the basketball gym. Seibel held his group masturbation sessions and penis enlargement and measuring sessions on-campus, and was finally caught in 2003 with child pornography on his computer.
“What’s clear is that Seibel created a culture of coercion, confusion and sexual perversion,” said Doe YZ’s attorney, Jeff Anderson. “What’s just as clear is that many around and at the top of Shattuck-St. Mary’s, wittingly or unwittingly, permitted Seibel’s exploitation of students. We are grateful to all of the survivors who have courageously stepped forward to hold this man and institution accountable for their actions.”
Despite reports of inappropriate behavior made to another teacher in the fall of 2000, who in turn reported Seibel to two administrators, nothing was reported to law enforcement and Seibel remained at the school for another three years. Since Seibel’s arrest in Minnesota, multiple survivors have already come forward alleging abuse by Seibel during his 11 year career with the school. Seibel was also convicted in Los Angeles, California of soliciting or engaging in lewd conduct in a public place.
This is the second lawsuit filed against the school under the new Minnesota Child Victims Act that was passed in May eliminating the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse survivors and opened a three year window for prior victims to come forward and hold their abusers and the institutions that may have allowed their abuse, accountable in court.
· The complaint is available under “Case Resources” at www.andersonadvocates.com
· MPR reported on Seibel and the failings of Shattuck-St. Mary’s this morning, read here: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/06/10/news/should-shattuck-st-marys-have-told-police-about-accused-teachers-child-pornography
Contact Jeff Anderson: Office/651.227.9990 Cell/612.817.8665
Contact Sarah Odegaard: Cell/612.616.4218