A Chicago church sexual abuse attorney has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a woman against the Chicago Archdiocese stemming from an alleged intimate relationship that involved a priest in 2008, according to WGN news. The plaintiff is claiming that the priest was her hospice grief counselor when her mother was dying and that he seduced her during a vulnerable period of time in her life.
The woman, who was married at the time, states that the affair began shortly after her terminally ill mother was admitted to the Rainbow Hospice in November of 2008. The sexual relationship continued for several months after the death of the woman’s mother.
The lawsuit was filed recently in the Circuit Court of Cook County and alleges that the priest manipulated and sexually exploited her during a very vulnerable time in her life. The plaintiff is not directly named in the lawsuit (as her attorneys are likely protecting her confidentiality. When our law firm files a sex abuse lawsuit, we name the plaintiff as John Doe or Jane Doe).
It is further alleged that the plaintiff’s husband notified the archdiocese of the relationship in December, 2008, and church officials took no action. A spokesperson for the archdiocese has confirmed the priest’s employment but declined further comment. Rainbow Hospice of Chicago also confirmed that the priest was employed there and that the hospice discharged him after the sexual allegations were made.
The Illinois sex abuse lawyer that filed the suit was not named in the news story.