Judgment of $2.5 Million in Children’s Theatre Abuse Case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ A judge has entered a default judgment of $2.5 million against a former Children's Theatre Company teacher accused of sexually abusing a student in 1983.

The judgment in Hennepin County is one of five sexual abuse lawsuits filed against Jason McLean, a former Twin Cities restaurateur, after he failed to show up for court dates. Plaintiff attorney Jeff Anderson says McLean was served with the lawsuit in Oakland, California. McLean's previous attorney, Jon Hopeman, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The lawsuit filed by an unnamed woman says McLean sexually abused her when she was 15 and 16 years old in 1983. Lawsuits were also filed against the theater and its co-founder, John Clark Donahue, who in 1984 pleaded guilty to molesting three male students and served 10 months in jail.