A fourth lawsuit has been filed against Twin Cities restaurateur Jason McLean, alleging unlawful sexual battery of a minor in the 1980s.
In a departure from the earlier cases, this woman — identified only as a "Jane Doe" — is suing only McLean and not the Children's Theatre Company, which employed him from the late 1970s to mid-'80s as a teacher and actor.
The complaint alleges that "in multiple instances" from August to November 1983, McLean "inflicted harmful, offensive and unpermitted sexual contact" on the plaintiff, who began attending the theater's now-shuttered conservatory school in 1981 as a ninth-grader.
McLean has not spoken publicly about the suits, but his attorney, Jon Hopeman, issued a statement when the first one was filed Dec. 1, noting that McLean had been investigated but never charged in 1984. Hopeman vowed to "defend against this lawsuit with all his might" to clear McLean's name.
The suits have been filed under the Minnesota Child Victims Act, which extends the statute of limitations on remedies for past abuse. It expires May 25.
Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390
