ORLANDO, Fla. – On Friday, Herman Law held a news conference to announce a lawsuit against the Diocese of Orlando amid new child sexual abuse allegations against a late priest.
Robert “Bob” Hoeffner, 76, and his sister, Sally Hoeffner, 69, were found dead in the Palm Bay home they shared in January 2024.
Authorities later concluded they had been fatally shot by Brandon Kapas, 24, a former student at St. Joseph Catholic School, where Hoeffner had served.
During Friday’s news conference, Shawn Teuber spoke alongside Jeff Herman, a nationally-recognized attorney and advocate for survivors of sexual abuse.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Orange County, seeks damages of at least $25 million.
The complaint names several defendants, including the Diocese of Orlando, St. Joseph Catholic Church Palm Bay, Inc., St. Joseph Catholic School, and St. Joseph Catholic Church, alleging that they failed to protect Teuber from sexual abuse perpetrated by Hoeffner.
Teuber claims that he was subjected to grooming and sexual abuse by Hoeffner during his time as a student at St. Joseph Catholic School from 2009 to 2014.
The lawsuit details instances where Hoeffner allegedly isolated Teuber under the guise of counseling, leading to multiple incidents of abuse both at the school and in private settings.
“During his confessions, Father Bob began to explore sexual issues and began to groom Shawn and then eventually began to molest Shawn, as we allege in the complaint,” Herman said during the news conference.
Teuber could barely express himself as he shared why he was filing a lawsuit against the Diocese of Orlando.
“I really can’t sleep because I have nightmares going on. It takes me a while to sleep. My mood, I have mood swings,” he said, adding he felt compelled to come forward to help others who may be victims of abuse. “I want to protect and prevent anything that happened with me or my friend that could escalate even worse than what happened to my friend. And I want to be the voice. And that you’re not alone. And that I’m here. And I believe you.”
Herman told News 6 that he has independent witnesses.
“One in particular (...) alleges that he reported concerns about Father Bob in 2012, 2013 school year to administrators at St. Joseph Catholic School, and then after that report was made, Father Bob continued to molest my client, Shawn, for years,” Herman said.
Hours after the siblings were murdered in the 2024 shooting, Kapas’s family called police to report Kapas acting erratically and carrying a gun at a family gathering, law enforcement records indicate.
When Palm Bay Police responded to the domestic disturbance, records show Kapas attempted to run away but was chased down the street by his grandfather, William Kapas.
Kapas fatally shot his grandfather and then opened fire on police, records show, wounding two officers.
Another officer shot and killed Kapas, law enforcement records state.
As part of the triple homicide investigation, police interviewed Kapas’s aunt.
“She explained Brandon and the victim, Father Bob, had a long-standing relationship that started when Brandon was a young teen,” an investigator wrote.
Kapas’s aunt described her nephew’s relationship with Hoeffner as “weird,” in part because the priest reportedly bought Kapas a car and shared a bank account with him.
“Brandon never confided in (his aunt), but she firmly believed sexual abuse was happening to Brandon by Father Bob,” an investigator wrote. “According to (the aunt), there has been some speculation and rumors about Father Bob being in appropriate with other children at the Catholic School.”
While searching Hoeffner’s home, detectives located 46 pages of handwritten notes containing “stories of child sexual abuse,” investigative records indicate.
About six weeks after the murders, police spoke with a 25-year-old man in New York who claimed to have been Kapas’s childhood friend and classmate.
The man’s name is redacted in police records, but the conversation is consistent with the one Shawn described having with investigators.
The man told police he and Kapas would go to Hoeffner’s home to help with yard work.
When he was 12 years old, the man claimed he was molested by Hoeffner after being instructed to go into the priest’s bedroom and pull down his pants.
Later, while Hoeffner was teaching the man how to drive a stick shift vehicle, he claims the priest inappropriately touched him.
A third incident allegedly occurred when the man was in the priest’s kitchen.
“Father Bob then grabbed (REDACTED)’s hand and placed it on his penis over his pants,” a report states. “As this was happening, Sally walked into the house which forced Bob to stop.”
The man told police he never reported the sexual abuse until after learning Hoeffner had been killed.
“He did not know if Brandon and any other child was molested by Father Bob,” the report states.
The lawsuit can be read in the media player below.
The Diocese of Orlando declined our request for an interview, but provided us with the following statement:
“The allegations reflected on the Herman Law post reiterates prior news stories arising out of this tragic shooting event. The Diocese of Orlando was not made aware of any allegations of abuse during Fr. Robert Hoeffner’s pastoral leadership, nor after he retired in 2016. We continue to pray for the Palm Bay and St. Joseph communities, and all involved,” the statement reads.