Lawsuit: Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School student sexually abused by coach
CHICAGO - A sexual abuse lawsuit was filed Tuesday against an all-girls Chicago Catholic high school.
A former unidentified student claims she was abused by a female water polo coach at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School from 2012 to 2016.
According to the lawsuit, the student was 14 when the abuse began. She claims the coach first took her to dinner and hired her as a babysitter. Then, according to court filings, the relationship changed against the student’s will to include inappropriate touching and sex acts. The school, coach and Catholic Bishop of Chicago are named as defendants.
The lawsuit claims the school did not fire the coach "when it knew or should have known" the behavior was taking place.
Mother McAuley released a statement that says in part, "We strive every day to create a safe and welcoming environment where every student’s well-being is protected. While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we take these allegations very seriously."
The school isn’t commenting on if or when they knew about the abuse cited in the lawsuit. The former student’s attorney says the student never reported the alleged abuse to Chicago police.