McCormack victims to receive $4.5M settlements from Archdiocese
Daniel McCormack | Illinois Department of Corrections
SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - Three victims of defrocked priest Daniel McCormack will $4.5 million in settlements from the Archdiocese of Chicago.
John Q. Doe, who sued the Archdiocese in March 2016, alleged he was abused by McCormack on multiple occasions in 2004 and 2005, when he was an 11-year-old participating in a basketball program at St. Agatha’s Catholic Church and Our Lady of the Westside Catholic School, according to a statement from Doe’s attorneys, Lane & Lane LLC.
The $1.75 million settlement was reached late last week, according to the attorneys.
Two brothers also agreed to a settlement of their suit, which alleged they were sexually assaulted in 2004 and 2005 when they were participants in an after school program and summer camp at the parish called “S.A.F.E.”
The “John Doe” brothers received $1.55 million and $1.15 million in the settlement, reached before the case went to trial.
McCormack taught classes and coached the basketball team during his assignment at the West Side school. The lawsuit alleged the Archdiocese allowed McCormack to be ordained as a priest and placed in a church and school setting, despite having knowledge of prior sexual misconduct allegations.
McCormack was removed from the priesthood in November 2007 and pleaded guilty to abusing five children at St. Agatha’s. He was sentenced to five years in prison and has been held at a state-run mental health facility since his release from prison in 2009. He faced additional charges in 2014, but those were later dropped. McCormack is currently awaiting trial on whether he is a sexually violent person.
So far in 2017, the Archdiocese has settled with at least four other alleged McCormack victims for a total of $5.45 million, the Sun-Times previously reported. Another settled for $1.25 million in May 2015, and a third reached a $3.2 settlement in January 2014.
A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the latest settlements Wednesday.