A nurse allegedly cheated on her long-term boyfriend with a bedridden paraplegic man for six months who she was supposed to be caring for at his home.
Kelsey Christine Fulweiler, 28, had her license suspended for two years and is being sued along with her former employer for psychological distress.
The $300,000 lawsuit filed in the District Court of Minnesota claimed Patrick Schur, 44, suffers PTSD as a result of the illicit relationship in 2022 and 2023.
Fulweiler made him think they had a future by ‘promising that the two would spend their lives together’, the lawsuit claimed.
But then she dumped him ‘abruptly and in the cruelest way, leaving him devastated’ and even taunting him after the breakup.
Post-breakup she mocked him for not being able to walk again or have children, and even for how long he took to get into his wheelchair.
Schur was paralyzed from the chest down by a car crash the night before his high school graduation in 1999, and never walked again.
His condition worsened due to complications to the point where he cannot leave his bed and suffers from infected pressure sores.
His parents built a one-bedroom annex to their home in St Paul and hired Allina Home Health to help care for him in 2010.
Kelsey Christine Fulweiler, 28, had an affair with Patrick Schur, 44, a bedridden paraplegic man, for six months when she visited him at his home to care for him (pictured together)
Schur’s condition worsened due to complications in recent years to the point where he cannot leave his bed and suffers from infected pressure sores
Fulweiler was one of the nurses sent to help him perform basic bodily functions and treat his abscess and numerous other aliments.
Ann Burgess, a sexual assault nurse examiner hired as an expert witness, argued Fulweiler used the visits to groom Schur and begin a sexual relationship with him.
Her report, obtained by DailyMail.com, argued Fulweiler’s conduct amounted to ‘authority rape’ and she should be charged with criminal sexual misconduct, a class four felony.
‘He does not… possess the maturity of a normal adult of that age (of 44),’ she wrote.
‘Being rendered a paraplegic at the young age of 18, he did not date or enjoy other life experiences that a normal young adult would have.
‘In addition to his severe physical vulnerability, the isolation and lack of maturity made him particularly mentally vulnerable to the grooming of Nurse Fulweiler, who was an attractive 26-year-old woman in a position of authority.’
Burgess argued Fulweiler groomed Schur for about a month before their first sexual contact, starting with late-night text messages about work-related topics.
Many of the messages were innocent enough, discussing TV shows, movies, music, and later what was going on in their lives.
But they gradually grew more personal, as Fulweiler shared her relationship struggles with her boyfriend Josh Klimek, whom she had dated since at least 2017.
‘Yeah, it kind of is like we are married, but glad we actually aren’t. And no, not being invasive. Is it appropriate to open up about your relationship status to a patient? Probably not,’ she wrote on November 11, 2022.
Schur before he was paralyzed from the chest down by a car crash the night before his high school graduation in 1999, and never walked again
Schur replied: ‘It’s fine, no worries I hope you know I would never say anything to anyone about such personal information.
‘It’s fine you’re just venting about what’s bothering you not a problem. Is it appropriate to tell your nurse all the various stories and bodily functions I have? Probably not.’
Fulweiler responded by saying she wished they were not just nurse and patient, and that Schur was ‘nice to talk to’.
She then realized ‘that was weird, and I am going to go find a hole to crawl into’ – but Schur reassured her she needn’t be embarrassed.
‘This is weird for me because you’re different, and I like conversing with you… I feel special, I genuinely like you too,’ she replied.
Five days later, she texted Schur about a claim by another man that Klimek may be cheating on her and she needed his ‘ear’ because he was the ‘only one who knows about my s**t show of relationship’.
Fulweiler also discussed her sex life with Klimer, telling him they were ‘having issues mostly related to intimacy’, followed by a phone call to discuss further.
Burgess argued opening discussing her personal life with Schur was a way to gain his trust and groom him for sex later on.
The pair started video chatting on FaceTime, often late at night, and communicating more frequently. Fulweiler appeared jealous of his female friends and scolded him when he took too long to reply.
Fulweiler shared her relationship struggles with her boyfriend Josh Klimek, whom she had dated since at least 2017
Ann Burgess, a sexual assault nurse examiner hired as an expert witness, argued Fulweiler groomed Schur and begin a sexual relationship with him
Their conversations became more flirtatious and on November 17, 2022, Fulweiler told Schur she ‘really liked’ him, and point-blank asked if he liked her back.
When he didn’t give her a straight answer and asked to talk about it in person the next day, she pressured him until he caved in and confessed ‘yes, I have feelings for you’.
The next day was when they kissed for the first time, as documented in texts exchanged later that night.
‘When was the last time you made out with someone?’ Fulweiler asked.
‘It’s been a minute. Hopefully I wasn’t rusty, lol. Standing in front of the bed rail probably wasn’t the ideal place to be, now that I’m thinking about it,’ Schur replied.
Fulweiler wrote that they would need to ‘figure out a different angle’.
Soon afterwards, the pair discussed getting locks installed on the doors to his room and a security camera on the access ramp so his parents wouldn’t catch them.
Fulweiler appeared jealous of his female friends and scolded him when he took too long to reply
Their conversations became more flirtatious and on November 17, 2022, Fulweiler told Schur she ‘really liked’ him, and point-blank asked if he liked her back
When he didn’t give her a straight answer and asked to talk about it in person the next day, she pressured him until he caved in and confessed ‘yes, I have feelings for you’
Their sexual relationship progressed rapidly from there, and hundreds of texts discussed their exploits – some in graphic detail.
Schur’s paralysis meant he was unable to get an erection, but was able to give Fulweiler oral and digital stimulation.
She responded with graphic text messages to encourage him further.
Another time on January 13, 2023, she sent Schur a photo of two sex toys she bought for him to use on her at the next nursing visit.
‘I’ll bring the toys next time we hang out on the weekend. I’ll need some help breaking them in,’ she wrote.
Sexual acts were coded as ‘prizes’ and Fulweiler rewarded Schur with them when he kept up with his physical therapy or performed sexual acts on her well enough.
‘I’ll be ready to give out some prizes for all your hard work,’ one message read.
When they kissed for the first time, as documented in texts exchanged later that night, Fulweiler asked: ‘When was the last time you made out with someone?’
‘It’s been a minute. Hopefully I wasn’t rusty lol standing in front of the bed rail probably wasn’t the ideal place to be now that I’m thinking about it,’ Schur replied
Fulweiler also sent seductive selfies in sexual poses, including in her underwear, or barely concealing her breasts with a jacket or a towel.
By early December 2022, the pair were referring to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, despite Fulweiler still being in a relationship with Klimek.
‘I love you!!!’ she wrote on January 6, 2023.
During the six months they were having sex, Fulweiler cautioned Schur that their relationship needed to stay secret, otherwise her job would be at risk.
‘I am just worried for me and work, but I trust you and if you say they won’t tell any one, then I trust them too,’ one message read.
Another read: ‘I worry about anyone finding out about us. I trust you, but I just worry. It’s my license.’
Text messages also showed Fulweiler gave Schur Covid in December 2022 after catching it from Klimek, due to kissing and other sexual activity without a mask.
‘I am very, very, very, sorry I gave you this,’ one message read.
‘Ugh I can’t believe this happened. Christmas has been ruined for everyone I care about! I hope your parents don’t get it.’
The pair discussed getting locks installed on the doors to his room and a security camera on the access ramp so his parents wouldn’t catch them
Fulweiler admitted in other texts that she previously gave Schur a cold.
Schur got so sick from having Covid that he was hospitalized, and suffered some post-Covid medical conditions, including symptoms of long Covid.
By May 2023, the relationship was beginning to fracture and texts showed signs of increased stress, along with less engagement by Fulweiler.
Some kind of major argument, either on the phone or in person, took place on May 31 that prompted Fulweiler to say she wanted them to go on a ‘break’.
Schur sent three apologetic texts in a row, but most received the silent treatment.
‘I feel really bad about saying the pregnant stuff. No excuse how I reacted on that subject. Even in a tense conversation that was inexcusable,’ he wrote.
Fulweiler finally replied on June 1: ‘It’s fine. I will always choose me over anything when it comes down to it. This is what is best for me right now. Space.’
Texts after that were short and mostly impersonal, mainly consisting of scheduling visits. Fulweiler was in the process of moving into her own apartment, having also broken up with Klimek.
Schur sent three apologetic texts in a row, but most received the silent treatment
Fulweiler finally replied on June 1: ‘It’s fine. I will always choose me over anything when it comes down to it. This is what is best for me right now. Space.’
Then on July 13, Fulweiler finally dumped Schur completely.
‘I can’t talk to you today I’m too upset,’ he wrote on July 14.
‘I understand. I am really sorry. I didn’t know I would feel like this until I moved into my apartment, truly,’ she replied.
‘I love you, and I have never ever wanted to hurt you. You can believe me or not, but it’s the truth.’
Fulweiler insisted Schur was ‘a great boyfriend’ who had ‘loved me better than anyone else ever has’, but she she ‘couldn’t be in a relationship right now’.
But she told him she didn’t want to ‘lose you entirely’.
‘Please don’t text me for now,’ Schur replied.
Fulweiler on July 16 asked if he still wanted her as his nurse and he replied: ‘It’s only been a day I’m not sure what I want to do… I want to think about it.’
Burgess wrote in her report that after the breakup, Fulweiler said many cruel things to Schur with the intent of hurting him, though they are not recorded in the texts.
They included taunting him about his inability to have children, saying he would never walk again, and that it would take ‘forever’ for him to get into his wheelchair.
‘His eyes have « too many problems » for him to be able to drive, that he could ‘never have a nurse other than her’, and that they can never be a « couple »,’ she wrote.
The nurse also claimed Schur was not motivated to move out of his parents’ home as he wanted to buy a home theatre system to improve his environment.
‘Nurse Fulweiler said these hurtful and upsetting remarks, and more, to someone who is a paraplegic, who is physically and mentally vulnerable, and is isolated to essentially one room,’ Burgess wrote.
‘Patrick reports his medical condition has deteriorated since the mental and sexual abuse and inhuman conduct he suffered at the hands of Nurse Fulweiler.’
Fulweiler visited Schur 11 times since they went on a break, until she was abruptly taken off his case at the end of July 2023, which Burgess argued was to ensure he wouldn’t spill the beans.
‘Did you request another nurse?’ she texted on August 1, 2023, which Schur denied.
Then on July 13, Fulweiler finally dumped Schur completely
Fulweiler insisted Schur was ‘a great boyfriend’ who had ‘loved me better than anyone else ever has’, but she she ‘couldn’t be in a relationship right now’
Fulweiler on July 16 asked if he still wanted her as his nurse and he replied: ‘It’s only been a day I’m not sure what I want to do… I want to think about it’
‘Well someone did,’ she responded. ‘You’re no longer on my caseload, and they took you off my schedule for Friday.’
Burgess wrote that the relationship drastically elevated Schur’s depression and anxiety, and the ‘authority rape’ was still not resolved in his mind.
‘In many ways, Patrick’s worldview has been shattered. Safety and the motivations and intentions of people are now suspect,’ she wrote.
She testified that the symptoms were permanent and ‘directly attributable to the event’.
‘He feels that his life has backpedaled, and it has,’ she wrote.
Burgess detailed that Schur said his sense of self was ‘destroyed’ by what happened, his world perspective was changed, and he clashed with family over it.
He was ‘feeling tricked into thinking he was in a special relationship that could evolve into a partnership’, felt ‘betrayal and helplessness’, and had a ‘lack of trust in people; loss and betrayal by his ‘girlfriend ».
Burgess argued Allina Home Health, which was a co-defendant in the lawsuit, should also face criminal neglect charges.
Her report laid out how it did not draw up a abuse prevention plan for Schur, despite his vulnerability, failed to detect the abuse, and did not properly investigate when a family friend complained on Schur’s behalf.
Allina instead ‘retaliated’ against Schur by cutting his nursing visits after Fulweiler was taken off his case, and didn’t immediately report the abuse to authorities.
Schuer’s lawsuit claimed Allina ‘were aware or should have been aware that… Fulweiler was a predator capable of preying on a vulnerable patient’.
The Minnesota Health Department cited the company for ‘facility noncompliance’ with federal regulations, but noted it retrained staff on professional boundaries and vulnerable adult maltreatment and reporting.
Allina said in response to the lawsuit that it fired Fulweiler when it was made aware of specific allegations in the lawsuit, and reported them to appropriate agencies.
‘We do not defend the actions of this former employee; however, we strongly dispute the lawsuit’s characterization of Allina Health’s conduct,’ it said.
Fulweiler cheated on Klimer with her patient and eventually broke up with him and moved out
Fulweiler also discussed her sex life with Klimer (pictured), telling Schur they were ‘having issues mostly related to intimacy’, followed by a phone call to discuss further
MDH initially only gave Fulweiler a warning after its investigation, but revisited the the case after reading the lawsuit.
The report released last October found she ‘coerced, compelled and manipulated the client into a sexual relationship’.
The Nursing Board the same month negotiated a two-year suspension of her license for ‘unprofessional conduct with a patient’.
Fulweiler admitted to being friends with Schur, but her lawyers denied ‘each and every allegation, matter, statement and thing contained in the complaint’
‘After Patrick and I became acquainted in the course of our professional contact, Patrick and I developed an outside of work hours friendship,’she told the court in a personal response.
‘[We discussed] mutual interests, including television shows (including online streaming shows), movies, music, etc. over the course of months.
‘After several months, Patrick expressed romantic interest in me. With regard to any alleged sexual contact, on advice of counsel, I plead the Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.’
