A third lawsuit claiming child sex abuse has been filed against the Children’s Theatre Company and one of its former acting coaches.

The suit, filed Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court, claims Doe 116, a former student at the theater’s school, was sexually abused by Jason McLean for four years, beginning in 1981 when she was about 13 years old.

During that time, McLean appeared regularly as an actor in the theater’s productions and was an acting teacher at the theater’s school.

Two other former child actors, Doe 76 and Laura Adams, filed similar lawsuits in December claiming they were sexually abused by McLean in the 1980s. Adams’ lawsuit was filed jointly with Doe 84, who claims he was abused by the theater’s former director and founder, John Donahue.

All three lawsuits claim the theater had a duty to protect the children and was negligent in its oversight of the adults.

The lawsuits against McLean mark the first public accusations against the former actor, who now owns the Loring Pasta Bar and Varsity Theater in Minneapolis.

Around the same time the women claim they were being abused by McLean, a sex-abuse scandal had erupted at the Children’s Theatre. Donahue, the theater’s revered leader, was charged with criminal sexual conduct. He pleaded guilty and was convicted in 1984. He resigned from the company, but remained active in the local acting scene for many years and continues to live in a home across the street from the Children’s Theatre.

According to Doe 116’s lawsuit filed this week, McLean coerced her to lie and deny any abuse when she was called to testify before a grand jury convened amid the 1984 scandal.

In a statement released Wednesday, Doe 116 identified herself as Melissa Beneke and said she has struggled over the years to make peace with her actions.

“When he was at risk of being exposed and criminally prosecuted for his abuse of me, in order to protect himself, he coerced and manipulated me to lie. Jason McLean’s abuse of me, therefore, was never exposed,” Beneke’s statement said. “Since that time, I have carried the burden of deep sadness and guilt that the full scope of the culture at Children’s Theatre was never exposed, Jason McLean was never prosecuted, and he continued to hurt children.”

Attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents Beneke and the other plaintiffs in the three lawsuits, said she “was inspired by Laura Adams.”

“Once she saw Laura and her courage, (Beneke) became incensed when she saw McLean deny that he abused Laura Adams, because she knew about that,” Anderson said.

Anderson also said he has been contacted by others who claim to have been abused and expects more suits to come.

“So far, the legal focus has been on Donahue and McLean, but there’s no doubt there was a culture (at the theater) that was highly sexualized and promiscuous … and that there are other offenders yet to be named publicly,” Anderson said. “There are other survivors coming forward, and you can expect that this is just the beginning of a fuller truth being told.”

McLean’s attorney, Jon Hopeman, declined to comment, but said in a previous statement: “Mr. McLean intends to defend against this lawsuit with all his might and to clear his name.”

An attorney for the Children’s Theatre did not immediately return a call for comment.

Children’s Theatre leaders issued a statement in December, when the first suit was filed, saying they stand with victims but believe that the allegations are “misdirected” and that the theater was not negligent.

“We will advocate for ourselves and our point of view as this case proceeds, yet we will do so being ever mindful that people in pain are at the heart of this matter,” the statement said.

The lawsuits were filed under Minnesota’s Child Victims Act, which suspended the statute of limitations in 2013 and opened a three-year window for lawsuits to be filed for child sex abuse, no matter how long ago it occurred. That window closes May 25.

Elizabeth Mohr can be reached at 651-228-5162. Follow her at twitter.com/LizMohr.