Chicago Archdiocese to pay $4.45M to settle priest abuse lawsuits

The Archdiocese of Chicago will pay $4.45 million to settle three lawsuits brought by three men who allege they were sexually abused more than a decade ago by former Roman Catholic priest, basketball coach and convicted sex offender Daniel McCormack, the plaintiffs' attorney said Tuesday.

According to Mark Brown, the attorney for the three plaintiffs, two brothers reached settlements in late January. They accused McCormack of sexually abusing them more than once during their participation in an after-school program called S.A.F.E. at Our Lady of the Westside Catholic School in the mid-2000s. The other man, who played basketball for the team McCormack coached at Our Lady of the Westside, reached his settlement April 20.

A spokeswoman for the archdiocese said she could not discuss the case "out of respect for the privacy of those involved," but did confirm the settlement had been reached.

Now 24 years old, the former basketball player, identified in court papers as John Doe, said in an interview with the Tribune that he told his parents and the archdocise about the abuse once he was out of Our Lady of the Westside and attending high school. The archdiocese offered to cover the cost of therapy, he said.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-mccormack-settlement-met-20170425-story.html