Mark Hanson, owner of Bricoleur Vineyards, is accused of raping and abusing his younger sister over a six-year period when they were children

• Hilary McKean, 60, accuses her brother Mark Hanson, 63, of sexual assault
• McKean claims the assault occurred during her childhood in the 1970s
• Hanson denies the allegations, saying she invented the claims of monetary gain herself

The owner of a Northern California winery has been accused of sexual assault by his younger sister.

Mark Hanson, 63, who runs the luxury winery Bricoleur Vineyards in Sonoma County, is accused in the 1970s by Hilary McKean – his younger sister, of rape and incest over a six-year period when both were children – claims the defendant denies forcefully and says it’s an attempt to blackmail him.

McKean, 60, who is now a trauma counselor and lives in Montana, detailed the alleged abuse a lawsuit filed in San Francisco County Superior Court detailing it Examples of assault, choking and forced masturbation.

She claims her brother also exhibited “strange behavior,” including “touching her feet with his hands and penis and sucking on her toes against her will.”

The lawsuit was originally filed in March, but Hanson’s name remained secret until last month, when a judge ruled that he could freely be named as a defendant.

Hanson owns Citron Bricoleur Vineyards with his wife, Elizabeth, and their daughter, Sarah Hanson.

His sister McKean claims the abuse began in 1971 when she was just eight years old. The family had moved to a new home in which her bedroom and that of her brother were separate from her parents and younger sister.

Although the “public relationship” with her brother seemed normal, as the two played together, rode bikes and built forts with other children in the neighborhood, the trauma occurred in the family home, according to McKean.

McKean claims Hanson entered her room at night and abused her over a six-year period until she was 14 and he was 17.

McKean and Hanson are half-siblings and share a biological mother.

In the lawsuit, McKean claims she repressed her memories of the attacks, but that they left lasting psychological and physical scars that left her with severe anxiety, depression, nightmares and “tissue, muscle and organ damage and bruising.”

The lawsuit contains detailed allegations that Hanson raped his sister, performed oral sex on her, forced her to masturbate and choked her.

She says what started as alleged physical abuse turned into “domination and control and violence coupled with sexuality,” the lawsuit says.

McKean says she has repressed all memories of the abuse, which resurfaced in 2022.

She is filing the lawsuit under California law, which allows victims of sexual assault to take legal action within five years of discovering they have been harmed.

McKean claims her brother acted “with malice, oppression and deceit.” “His conduct was despicable and occurred with willful, knowing and deliberate disregard for his sister’s rights and safety,” the lawsuit says.

“He deliberately concealed his malicious and oppressive behavior and threatened his sister.” She was afraid that he would kill her. “His conduct was so vile, vile and despicable that it was degraded and despised by reasonable people,” the lawsuit says.

McKean told this San Francisco Chronicle: “I think there’s a lot of pressure to protect the family’s reputation and not talk about these things.”

“I don’t really think it’s healthy for anyone to hold on to these secrets. It’s not healthy for me and it’s not healthy in our society. “We need to be able to talk about what happened to us.”

She claims: “I was terrified every night and wished he wouldn’t come into my bedroom.”

McKean claims the abuse only stopped when Hanson began dating a girl during his senior year of high school, before eventually leaving the family home to attend Santa Clara University.

“After my release, I changed a lot,” she told the Chronicle.

Meanwhile, McKean worked in PR, married, had two children and later divorced.

She was “superficially friendly” with her brother, but claims the memories suddenly resurfaced in the spring of 2022.

“It was as if a door opened and they poured out of a closet they were locked in,” she claims.

“All the things I never allowed myself to feel since early childhood… All those feelings came back and multiplied over the years of never allowing myself to feel those things.” It took a while until I get through this. I’m still on a healing journey.’

Under California law, victims of sexual assault have five years to take legal action. However, the period only begins “once the survivor understands what happened and understands the behavior and feels harmed by it.”

McKean is seeking unspecified civil damages, citing symptoms including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, flashbacks, anxiety and a loss of self-esteem.

By coming forward, she seeks justice for her younger self and hopes that she might help others dealing with repressed trauma.

“If I speak my truth, it will make even a little girl or a woman who is hiding repressed memories come forward and speak, then together we will change the system because I believe there is tremendous pressure on women “Not to talk about these things,” she said.

“I think we should be able to say what happened to us.” That it should be allowed. And for some reason it doesn’t feel that way.’

Her brother Hanson denied the allegations, saying they were “made-up memories.”

“Hilary fabricated and invented details with the sole intention of portraying me in the most damaging way possible in order to extort as much money from me,” he said in a statement.

“While my daughter is focused on beating cancer, I am also busy running our shared family business in her absence.” This speaks directly to my sister’s lack of character, compassion and money motivation.

“It is hard to believe that a person who had as long and successful a professional career as my sister Hilary, who spoke frequently about women’s empowerment, would have suppressed events of this magnitude for five decades.”

“Conveniently, these fabricated ‘memories’ ‘surfaced’ to exploit the state’s statute of limitations,” Hanson said, describing his sister as someone who sought “unconventional” therapies for ongoing mental health problems and making light of her self-portrayal as “unconventional.” Therapy funny spiritual healer and clairvoyant.

On her own website, McKean describes herself as an “experienced intuitive trainer, master life energy healer and levels aura reader.”

“I understand the pain of being trapped in lies. “I know how hard it is to stand out and be seen when you’ve been programmed to look perfect, to fit in, to be just like everyone else,” she writes in her online bio.

Referring to his sister’s website, Hanon said: “Maybe she made up her false accusations in this aura, but that’s all they are: made-up allegations with no basis in the matter.”

“The allegations are false and painful for me and my family.” I am confident they will not survive the courtroom. I will not allow their untruths to tarnish my good name and our family’s reputation.’