A hearing to decide whether to reveal the name of the anonymous plaintiff who has leveled a lawsuit at former Senate President Stanley Rosenberg and his husband Bryon Hefner will reconvene on July 11.
The civil lawsuit alleges that Rosenberg, 68, “knew or was aware” that Hefner, 31, posed a risk to individuals in the Massachusetts Statehouse and that Rosenberg and Hefner had an agreement or understanding allowing Hefner access to those individuals, “with whom Defendant Hefner could engage in unwanted sexual touching.”
Hefner pleaded not guilty to felony sexual assault charges in April, and Rosenberg resigned from the Legislature in May after a four-month-long ethics investigation into whether he broke any Senate rules in relation to the charges against Hefner. Rosenberg had previously stepped down as Senate president in December after allegations against Hefner were first published in the Boston Globe.
The hearing in Suffolk Superior Court, originally scheduled for Wednesday, is to allow Rosenberg and Hefner the chance to “show probable cause of why the plaintiff’s motion for impoundment should not be granted,” according to the lawsuit.
Referred to as “John Doe” in the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s name was impounded to protect the identity of the person who alleges in the suit that he was “sexually abused” by Hefner.
The lawsuit alleges that Hefner grabbed the unnamed plaintiff’s genitals without consent on more than one occasion and that the plaintiff suffers from ongoing emotional and physical distress from the incidents, including “depression, anxiety, muscle tension, gastrointestinal distress and impaired sleep.”
According to Suffolk Superior Court Assistant Clerk Paul Kenneally, the decision to reconvene the hearing on July 11 was a mutual decision made by the lawyers representing Rosenberg, Hefner and the anonymous plaintiff.
Though the Senate ethics investigation report states that, “there is no evidence to suggest that Senator Rosenberg was aware that Hefner committed acts of indecent sexual assault,” the lawsuit alleges that Rosenberg knew or was aware that Hefner posed a “substantial risk of serious harm” to individuals at the Statehouse.
Rosenberg declined to comment. Hefner’s attorney, Tracy Miner, could not be reached for comment.
M.J. Tidwell can be reached at mjtidwell@gazettenet.com.