A settlement was recently reached in the Archdiocese of Chicago scandal, benefitting a man who alleges he was abused by a former priest.

The man alleged that disgraced former priest Daniel McCormack had abused him twice while he was a student at St. Agatha’s Catholic Church.

Named in the Catholic sex abuse lawsuit as John Doe, the man had filed legal action in the wake of the Archdiocese of Chicago scandal in 2013 and is currently in his 20s. The plaintiff alleges he repressed childhood memories during his time at the church, and opted to file legal action after remembering the sexual abuse later in his life.

According to a press release from the plaintiff’s attorney, the plaintiff wanted to send a message to other victims of sexual abuse that they did not have to “suffer in silence.”

Overview of Archdiocese of Chicago Scandal Allegations

The Archdiocese of Chicago scandal stems back to 2007, when McCormack had pleaded guilty to sexually abusing five boys and was sentenced to five years in prison.

John Doe was not one of these victims, and he chose to file legal action more recently. Furthermore, when McCormack became eligible for parole in 2009, prosecutors had wanted a judge to classify him as a sexually violent individual so he could be held indefinitely at a secure facility in Rushville.

After finding McCormack to be one of these dangerous individuals, Cook County Judge Dennis Porter had ordered for the former priest to be held indefinitely. McCormack has allegedly sexually victimized over two dozen young boys and young men. These alleged incidents reportedly occurred at the St. Agatha’s Parish on Chicago’s West Side, where McCormack taught algebra and coached basketball.

Allegations from the Catholic church sex abuse scandal further stated that there was a victim assistance ministry since the early 1990s, which is an “extensive program of employee and volunteer screening, prevention education and monitoring to address the problem of abuse of minors for decades.”

Even with this program, McCormack still managed to get himself hired and had easy access to victims for years. The Archdiocese of Chicago had eventually filed legal action, after discovering McCormack had allegedly victimized other boys.

According to a statement from the archdiocese, there has been approximately $200 million paid to victims of Catholic sex abuse. Before this recent settlement, McCormack had already cost the archdiocese millions from other lawsuit settlements.

This Archdiocese of Chicago scandal is just one of several progressive movements for victims of sexual abuse in the United States, especially those who were victimized in the Catholic church. Recently a grand jury in Pennsylvania had released a report in August, stating there had been over 1,000 people who were victims of Catholic sex abuse in that state.

The grand jury reviewed six of the eight dioceses in Pennsylvania. It reportedly found evidence that priests and other church leaders had molested children and that church officials had taken great measures to cover it up.

According to the grand jury, over 300 priests and church leaders had allegedly sexually abused children in 54 out of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Catholic church sex abuse scandal has inspired other states to conduct investigations.