The Illinois Attorney General has released its long-awaited, comprehensive investigation of sexual abuse of children in Illinois by Roman Catholic priests, brothers, and other church officials. You can read the report here.
The Attorney General’s investigation resulted in the Illinois Catholic Dioceses publicly listing an additional 231 substantiated Catholic cleric and religious brother child sex abusers. According to the report:
In addition to the 334 clerics and religious brothers disclosed across the Illinois Dioceses, the Attorney General is publicly disclosing in this report 160 more clerics and religious brothers across five of the six Illinois Dioceses who both ministered in Illinois and have been substantiated by Catholic sources as child sex abusers, but whom have not been disclosed as such by the Illinois Dioceses. Because some of these clerics and religious brothers ministered in more than one diocese, the total number of additional discrete child sex abusers is 149. These additional disclosures bring the total number of publicly disclosed substantiated child sex abusers across the Illinois Dioceses to 494:
Archdiocese of Chicago – 275
Diocese of Joliet – 69
Diocese of Belleville – 43
Diocese of Peoria – 51
Diocese of Rockford – 24
Diocese of Springfield – 32
The Illinois Attorney General’s investigation also revealed claims by at least 1,997 survivors who were sexually abused by 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers who are now publicly disclosed in Illinois as substantiated child sex abusers.
If you were a victim of a Catholic priest or brother in Illinois, you may still have time to pursue justice. When a victim of childhood sexual abuse does not realize his or her injury, based on the mental impact of the childhood abuse and the refusal of church authorities to disclose the actions of their clergy, then the law must accommodate that plaintiff. Contact us today to discuss your legal rights.
Hurley McKenna & Mertz is dedicated to fighting for the rights of victims of sexual abuse to finally get the truth from the religious institutions that have so often fought to protect the abusers. Our Chicago sexual abuse lawyers are experienced in handling a wide variety of sexual abuse cases, including cases against some of the most high-profile entities in the Catholic church.
The Archdiocese of Chicago
Hurley McKenna & Mertz has represented many victims of sexual and physical abuse by priests and other agents of the Archdiocese of Chicago. We obtained a record $12 million settlement from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago on behalf of three children permanently injured by severe abuse by a foster parent under the supervision of Catholic Charities.
We believe information is still being withheld and that many more priests guilty of sexual abuse are not on the original list. Our mission is to force the Archdiocese to take responsibility for all priests who have abused children, including Father Daniel McCormack.
As part of our mission, we have filed dozens of lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Chicago, seeking justice for the victims of sexual abuse.
The Diocese of Joliet
Hurley McKenna & Mertz filed multiple lawsuits in the Circuit Court of Will County, Illinois, against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet for sexual abuse of boys in the 1970s and 1980s by priests and, in one case, the principal of a Catholic grade school.
The complaints allege that the Diocese of Joliet allowed known or suspected predators and pedophiles to meet with young boys at remote or private locations outside the presence of other adults. According to the complaints, the Diocese of Joliet knew or should have known about the risk of abuse, or actual incidents of abuse, and yet engaged in a pattern and practice of shielding pedophile priests. The Diocese thus covertly transferred pedophile priests around the diocese and out of state to protect its own interests.
Fighting To Get Justice For You
Hurley McKenna & Mertz has a proven track record of achieving favorable results for our clients. If you are a victim of sexual abuse by a Roman Catholic priest or other clergy member, you deserve justice. For more information about our work on these types of cases, or for a confidential, free consultation with one of our attorneys, contact us at 312-553-4900 or fill out our online form here.
