BishopAccountability.org
	Archdiocese Settles with Another McCormack Sex Abuse Victim By Manya Brachear Chicago Tribune November 15, 2011 www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-archdiocese-settles-with-daniel-mccormack-priest-sex-abuse-victim-20111115,0,2824547.story The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has reached a settlement with another victim of former priest and convicted sex offender Daniel McCormack. The family of the boy, who McCormack pleaded guilty to abusing in 2007, will receive $3.2 million. At least two other lawsuits against the archdiocese tied to McCormack remain pending in court. Chicago-based law firms Hilfman & Martin and Abels & Annes announced the agreement today. After McCormack pleaded guilty in 2007 to sexually abusing five boys and was sentenced to 5 years in prison, numerous other alleged victims came forward with similar stories of abuse. The archdiocese removed McCormack from the ministry soon after his arrest in January 2006. Church officials said at the time that they had begun an internal investigation of McCormack when a second sexual abuse allegation surfaced. When McCormack came up for parole in 2010 after serving 2½ years of his sentence, the Cook County State's Attorney and the Illinois Attorney General petitioned the court to have him committed under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act, arguing that he remains a threat. McCormack remains in a state mental health facility. The archdiocese had this e-mail response to reports of the settlement: "The Archdiocese of Chicago does not comment on specific details of settlements in clergy misconduct cases out of respect for the privacy of all involved. Victims-survivors are free to speak about their situations and the Archdiocese respects their right to make public the details of their settlements, if they choose to do so. "With this settlement, all five of the claims to which McCormack pled guilty have been resolved. "The Archdiocese affirms its long-standing practice of reaching out to all victims of misconduct by clergy to resolve their claims in a just, compassionate and respectful way and continues to work for the healing of all those affected by the tragedy of child and adolescent sexual abuse." Contact: mbrachear@tribune.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.