MINNEAPOLIS — Children's Theatre Company (CTC) has apologized for going after an abuse survivor to recoup court costs in a civil case.
CTC Managing Director Kim Motes and Artistic Director Peter Brosius posted a video statement on Friday directed at former student Laura Stearns, after CTC attempted to recoup more than $295,000 in court costs from her lawsuit.
Stearns filed the lawsuit in 2015 against both the theater and employee Jason McLean, which led to the first civil trial from the theater's child sex abuse scandal. The lawsuit claims McLean sexually abused Stearns and other children in the 1980s.
McLean has not been criminally charged.
The jury found the theater negligent, but found that the company was not liable for damages because it didn't directly cause the assault. Stearns won a $3.68 million judgment, which McLean is responsible for paying. According to Stearns' attorney, McLean has fled to Mexico.
Stearns said that while she will "likely never see a penny" of her judgment, CTC went after her for court costs. The court filing, from May 18, shows a claim directed at Stearns for $295,673.38. Stearns said CTC's lawyers argued for the costs in court on Friday, May 24.
"It is the last straw for me," Stearns wrote in a Facebook post on May 25, calling for a boycott. "What the survivors of CTC want is for them to own their part. To apologize." She went on to write that "this personal attack on me is enough evidence for me to take a different kind of stand."
On May 31, Motes and Brosius issued a video statement on directed at Stearns and other survivors, changing course.
"We are sorry," Brosius said in the video. "Last week we failed in our commitment to be empathetic and respectful in our handling of our legal obligations. We let a court filing go forward without thinking about how it would feel from your perspective. That was our mistake and we want to set it right."
Brosius said "under no circumstances" will they seek to recover any costs from Stearns. He acknowledged that they should have said that last week in court.
"We never intended for you to pay this cost," Brosius said in the statement. "Asking for money from survivors goes against our values, principles and the spirit we have tried to live up to. We hope you can forgive us for the pain that our mistake has caused you."
Brosius said that CTC will continue to work with survivors who have filed lawsuits and "will work toward settlements that give them the help and healing that they need."
The video statement also announced that proceeds from the Sunday, June 16, "Matilda" performance at 6:30 will go to nonprofits dedicated to helping survivors.
