Victim of alleged abuse calls for boycott against Children’s Theatre Company
The Children's Theatre Company, which prevailed in a lawsuit over the abuse of child actors, has lost the public relations war.
The latest skirmish happened on Saturday when Laura Stearns Adams posted on Facebook that CTC is pursuing her for the cost of defending itself against a lawsuit filed by young actors who were allegedly molested by a former teacher and former director.
After deliberating for a day in February, a Hennepin County jury ruled that the theater was "generally negligent" in the time period before the alleged assault. But it did not determine CTC was negligent in hiring Jason McLean, while declaring McLean, not the school, should pay a judgement of $3.68 million to Stearns.
McLean, who now lives in Mexico, denied he abused her in 1983.
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At a hearing on Friday, the theater asked a judge to order Stearns to pay its legal fees.
On Saturday, Stearns called for a boycott of the CTC.
https://www.facebook.com/laura.adams.735/posts/10217451251465843
On Sunday, CTC responded with its own Facebook post, declaring that Stearns is facing the consequences of appealing the verdict.
https://www.facebook.com/childrenstheatremn/posts/10156111999110671
Legalities aside, it was a really bad look for the theatre.
More than a dozen lawsuits were filed against the Children's Theatre Company by people who say its employees abused them as children.