Cmu Student's Lawsuit against Former Catholic Priest Alleges Sexual Relationship

By Andy Hoag
MLive
February 11, 2016

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2016/02/report_lawsuit_filed_against_n.html

A Central Michigan University student has filed a lawsuit regarding a sexual relationship she says she had with a now-former priest from the parish serving the school.

Megan Winans, through her Lansing attorney James Heos, filed the lawsuit in January in Isabella County Circuit Court, alleging the Rev. Denis Heames asked her to keep their sexual relationship a secret.

Winans is a senior at CMU, according to CM Life, the student newspaper at CMU.

The Rev. Denis Heames in 2005

Heames, 43, served as parochial administrator for St. Mary University Parish in Mount Pleasant until July, when he first was placed on administrative leave and then removed from his position for what the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw called "boundary violations."

The diocese has stated the "boundary violations" were not of an illegal nature, though no additional details about the incident or incidents that led to the decision regarding Heames were released.

Winans' lawsuit names as defendants Heames, the Diocese of Saginaw, St. Mary University Parish, and Trudy McCaffery, a Diocese employee described as Heames' "spiritual director." The lawsuit alleges Heames and Winans "first engaged in sexual activity" at McCaffery's home in Saginaw County.

The lawsuit alleges battery, defamation, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent supervision and retention, among other claims. Winans is seeking more than $25,000 per count, a figure required for Circuit Court lawsuits, and "whatever amount the court may deem just and proper and the nature of this case may require."

The defendants have not yet responded to the lawsuit, court officials said.

The lawsuit alleges Heames used a counseling relationship he established with Winans to initiate a sexual relationship with her. Once that began, Heames hired Winans as a "media intern" at the church, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit alleges Heames "justified his sexual relationship (with Winans) by explaining it through religious and spiritual means."

"Heames continued to abuse his position by maintaining a sexual relationship with (Winans) for nearly two years, asking her to keep their relationship secret," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit states the relationship between Heames and Winans ended in August 2014. At that time, Heames "revoked (Winans') position as media intern," the lawsuit states.

Winans "did not consent to sexual contact" with Heames but "feared the repercussions of turning down the sexual advances of a 'messenger of God' and priest within the Catholic Church" such as Heames, the lawsuit states. Heames "implied to others" that Winans initiated the relationship, the lawsuit states.

ahoag@mlive.com