Judge rules abuse victims can seek punitive damages from Chicago archdiocese in McCormack cases
February 11, 2016
An Illinois judge has ruled that sex-abuse victims can seek punitive damages from the Archdiocese of Chicago for harm they suffered at the hands of the former priest Daniel McCormack.
Judge Clare McWilliams said that the victims' lawyers could seek to persuade a jury that archdiocesan officials showed "utter disregard" for the welfare of children when they ordained and assigned McCormack to pastoral work, despite early evidence that he was a molester. McCormack was ordained in 1994 by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, even after he admitted that he had been guilty of sexual abuse while in the seminary.
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Posted by: feedback -
Feb. 12, 2016 2:30 PM ET USA
Paste the link address in google search to see text without signing up to Chicago Tribune. In related news: the Chicago Archdiocese is preparing to close over 100 parishes because of shortage of funds. McCormack alone already cost the Archdiocese over $50 million. Bishop Kicanas of Tucson was McCormack's rector, sponsor and defender before ordination.
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Posted by: loumiamo -
Feb. 11, 2016 6:54 PM ET USA
But let's not forget that in 1994 the touchy/feely, angst ridden, hand wringing, pseudo psychy, liberal know it alls were preaching that it was wrong to hold abusers accountable, that the more enlightened and compassionate course of action was to let those issues magically resolve themselves. A bishop who may have wanted to properly discipline an abuser was strongly counseled not to. Now the cry is that bishops should have known better than to listen to the know it alls. What shameless gall.
