By Lori Ehde
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Thursday, May 23, in a lawsuit brought against Pinnacle Programs Inc., Magnolia. The action stems from the 1998 sex scandal that sent Pinnacle employee Sharon Smidstra to prison.
The parents of one of the sexually abused boys allege the organization knew of Smidstra's sexual relations with other boys at the facility prior to their son arriving there.
They also claim, among other things, that Pinnacle knew about Smidstra's psychological, chemical, emotional and behavior difficulties and should have known that history would be damaging to their son.
They say the facility was also negligent in not having sufficient precautions, training and supervisory arrangements in place to prevent staff members from abusing resients.
Pinnacle Programs Inc. , Smidstra and four employees are named as defendants in the suit, originally filed March 16, 2000.
The employees are not specifically named because the plaintiffs at the time of filing did not know their names.
The lawsuit is making its way through Rock County District Court, and a trial is set for June 10, unless the parties arrive at a settlement.
So far, Pinnacle and the employees deny prior knowledge of SmidstraÕs illegal activities with the boys.
Smidstra denies the activities took place at all, maintaining her innocence despite the jury conviction.
Thursday's pretrial hearing will establish trial procedure, such as which witnesses and evidence will be presented.
The plaintiff's attorney, Thomas Lehmann, Eagan, declined to say what damages his clients are seeking.
"Hopefully the good people of Rock County will put a figure on that if it goes to trial," he said Wednesday.
Smidstra was found guilty in a July 14, 1999, jury trial of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct, five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and seven counts of furnishing tobacco to a minor.
She was sentenced Aug. 30, 1999, to seven years in the women's correctional facility in Shakopee.