WAUPACA (NBC26) — Tony Haase has formally responded to a civil lawsuit filed against him, denying nearly all allegations laid out in the plaintiff’s complaint.
In a filing submitted by his attorneys at Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen, S.C., Haase either outright denies each claim or states that he lacks sufficient knowledge to confirm the allegations.
The suit - brought by Richard H. Togstad as administrator of the estates of his mother, Helen M. Hoffman, and sister, Tanna Togstad - claims Haase killed Tanna Togstad and her boyfriend, Timothy Mumbrue, with a knife in March of 1992.
Haase was charged in both murders, but was acquitted by a Waupaca County jury on Aug. 11.
The suit demands $17 million in damages: $5 million for wrongful death damages, $2 million for Togstad’s pain and suffering, and $10 million in punitive damages. It includes counts for wrongful death, battery, sexual assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
In his October 2 court filing, Haase denied all allegations, often claiming insufficient knowledge of events, and raised multiple defenses including statute of limitations, lack of jurisdiction, and failure to state a claim. He asked the court to dismiss the suit with prejudice and award him attorney fees.
After the suit was filed in August, Richard H. Togstad spoke with NBC 26's Fox Cities neighborhood reporter Kyle Langellier and told him he filed the suit for "peace of mind" and "to prove that somebody actually did it."
There are not currently any hearings scheduled in the case.
