A plaintiff named Jane Doe alleges her stepfather sexually absued her over a 12-year period in a civil lawsuit filed June 5 in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
The defendant, Dennis B. Beiter of East Carondelet, allegedly threatened Doe not to report the abuse.
"That after knowingly undertaking such improper contact with Doe and threats thereof, Beiter undertook to intimidate, threaten and/or coerce Doe into not reporting or informing anyone of his wrongful conduct and threats," the complaint states.
According to the lawsuit, Beiter was married to Doe's mother in 1984. Doe claims Beiter sexually abused her on numerous occasions between 1986 and 1998.
"That during this period of time Beiter intended to, and did, cause severe emotional distress to Doe, or recklessly disregarded the probability of causing emotional distress to her, such conduct on behalf of Beiter being outrageous and intolerable in that it offended the generally accepted standards of decency and morality," the complaint states.
Doe, represented by D. Jeffrey Ezra of Ezra & Associates in Collinsville, claims she suffered emotional distress, mental anguish and had to undergo medical treatment. She is seeking in excess of $150,000 in damages.
Step daughter claims sexual abuse in civil complaint
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