Suit Seeks Release Of Details Of 'Each Accused Child-Molesting Cleric'
(STMW) -- A new lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Chicago accuses the church of perpetuating a "public nuisance" by keeping convicted child molester and defrocked priest Daniel McCormack in positions with access to children despite accusations of abuse.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of John Doe 239.
With the "public nuisance" accusation, attorneys for the plaintiff are asking the court to order the Archdiocese to "publicly release the history of abuse of each accused child-molesting cleric," the suit stated.
John Doe 239 was sexually abused by McCormack between 2000 and 2006 while he was a student and altar boy at St. Agatha church and school on the West Side, the suit stated. The two-count suit also alleges negligence.
"In January and November of 2014, the Archdiocese of Chicago voluntarily released almost 22,000 pages of documents related to 66 Archdiocesan priests who have at least one substantiated allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor," the Archdiocese said in a statement. "None of the priests' names have been redacted or removed to conceal the identity of abusers and most of them have been listed on the Archdiocesan website since 2006."
John Doe 239's attorneys credited the Archdiocese's efforts and expressed hopes for a working relationship with the church.
"We acknowledge that the Archdiocese has made significant strides toward transparency and the protection of children," attorney Jeff Anderson said in a statement. "There is still more work to be done. We wish to work with the Archdiocese rather than against them to achieve these goals."
In November 2014, newly-installed Archbishop Blase Cupich apologized to parishioners at St. Agatha for abuses committed by McCormack.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
