Last week, a settlement for $3.15 million was reached between a sexual abuse victim and the Archdiocese of Chicago. The victim who was repeatedly sexually abused throughout his adolescence by then-Reverend Daniel McCormack filed a lawsuit in 2010 against the Archdiocese of Chicago and Cardinal Francis George for both failing to remove McCormack and allowing him continued access to children after receiving multiple complaints that he had sexually abused minors.
Daniel McCormack, who has since been removed of his title, was charged with multiple counts of criminal sexual abuse in 2006, and later pleaded guilty to the crimes. The victim in the suit alleged that McCormack began sexually abusing him when he was in eighth grade at Our Lady of the West Side Catholic School. McCormack then continued to sexually abuse the victim as his basketball coach when he was a junior and senior in high school.
According to the charges, the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George both failed to investigate the numerous complaints that they received regarding McCormack’s sexual abuse to minor boys. The lawsuit also alleges that despite these reports, the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George allowed McCormack to continue coaching young boys at this school.
Sexual abuse of children and the protection religious and educational institutions provide to these predators is not a new hardship our society must face. Cases such as these, however, provide a platform for victims to stand up against their assailants – and the institutions who shelter them – even if the abuse occurred years ago.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual abuse by a religious leader, religious organization, or religious school, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.