Shakopee Man Goes Public with Sexual Assault Allegations against the New Ulm Diocese

By Kassandra Sepeda
KEYC
April 30, 2015

http://www.keyc.com/story/28935609/shakopee-man-goes-public-with-sexual-assault-allegations-against-the-new-ulm-diocese

A 58-year-old Shakopee man goes public with allegations that he was sexually abused by a nun decades ago.

Now he's suing the Diocese of New Ulm and an order of nuns.

As part of highly religious family, the plaintiff, then 10-year-old, Douglas Devorak says to have shared his story sooner would have torn his family apart.

"They entrusted their son's religious and moral education to these people for me to tell them that one of the people they trusted abused me. They would've never forgave themselves," says Devorak.

Now after 48 years, Devorak has filed a civil law suit against the Diocese of New Ulm and The School sisters of Notre Dame.

It alleges that Sister Mary Regina Hebig repeatedly fondled him during school hours from the fall of 1967 to the spring of 1968.

Hebig has since passed away.

Devorak says. "I was wronged. I want to come out to show people that it is possible to come out and get rid of the baggage and get back into a normal life style. That there is life after abuse."

The lawsuit says both the Diocese and the nuns were negligent in allowing Sister Mary Regina to have unsupervised and unlimited access to young children and teenagers since the school was over seen by the Diocese.

Patrick Noaker one of Devorak's attorneys explains, "I mean this sexual abuse happened inside the St Michael's school and that is a New Ulm Diocese school and church so they are responsible for what goes on inside and outside of the building."

KEYC News 12 did try to reach out the dioceses of New Ulm and they responded with a written statement saying that:

"Diocese was not involved with the hiring of parish school employees and was not aware of any complaints involving the nun accused until the recent claim..... but does regret the long lasting and devastating effects of sexual misconduct on the part of the clergy."

According to Devorak's defense team, the next step will include discovery of evidence then eventually trial.