The owner of a famous California winery has been accused in a lawsuit that alleges he raped and sexually assaulted his sister over a six-year period when the brothers were children.
Hilary McKean, 60, is suing her brother Mark Hanson, 63, alleging repeated abuse while they were growing up together in the 1970s.
Ms. McKean recently said that between the ages of 8 and 14, her half-brother, owner of Bricoleur Vineyards in Sonoma County, came into her bedroom at night and assaulted her repeatedly after years of repressing the memories. I remember many cases where this was the case. According to the complaint.
California’s statute of limitations allows an alleged victim of sexual assault to file a lawsuit within five years from the date the victim becomes aware of the psychological damage caused by the assault.
McKean, who lives in Montana, is seeking unspecified damages for the hardships he faced as a result of the alleged assault, including the development of depression and PTSD.
She also is seeking a jury trial, according to the complaint.
She said the alleged abuse began when the family moved into a new house, with her and her brother’s bedrooms close together but far from her parents’ room.
She accused Hanson of a “recurrent, multifaceted onslaught of violent sexual abuse and rape,” including unwanted sexual intercourse, penetration, oral sex, forced masturbation and strangulation. , and even included a foot fetish twist against her will.
According to the suit, repressed memories came flooding back to McKean in the spring of 2022. At the time she was writing her memoirs, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure to protect the family’s reputation and not talk about things like this.”
McKean told a local newspaper. “I just don’t think it’s healthy for anyone to keep these secrets. It’s not healthy for me, it’s not healthy within our society. We have to talk about what happened.”
Hanson denies the charges and accuses his sister of making the whole thing up for money, he told the Chronicle through his lawyer.
“Hillary fabricated and fabricated details for the sole purpose of portraying me in the truest light.”
“They tried to extort large sums of money from me in a damaging way,” he said.
The newspaper could not immediately reach Hanson’s lawyer.
IIf you have experienced sexual assault and live in New York, you can receive free and confidential crisis counseling by calling 1-800-942-6906. If you live out of state, dial the 24/7 National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
