Attorney: Catholic Church Settles Another McCormack Sex Abuse Lawuit
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A lawyer for an alleged sex abuse victim said the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has settled another lawsuit involving former priest Daniel McCormack.
Attorney Eugene Hollander said his client, a man now in his late 20s, will receive a settlement of $1.25 million from the church.
The plaintiff in the lawsuit claimed McCormack abused him at the former priest's first parish assignment, St. Ailbe Church, at 90th and Harper.
"The client is really struggling," Hollander said. "He was sexually abused in 4th and 5th grade; primarily 4th grade."
He said every aspect of his client's life has been affected by McCormack's abuse.
"He sees a therapist. He's been making progress, but he's had a lot to grapple with, both in terms of who he is, in terms of his trust in the church, in trust of God," he said.
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Hollander said his client suppressed memories of the abuse, but those memories were unleashed when the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal broke at Penn State University in 2011.
McCormack was sentenced to 5 years in prison in 2007, after pleading guilty to abusing five children at St. Agatha Parish on the West Side. He was paroled in 2009, but remained in a state mental health and detention facility while a judge considers a request to keep him committed indefinitely. Last year, he was charged in another incident.
