CHICAGO (OSV News) — The Archdiocese of Chicago filed a countersuit March 24 against seven alleged victims of clergy child sex abuse who either have pending settlements or have already received settlements in the millions of dollars.
The lawsuit, provided to OSV News by the archdiocese, documents a network of at least 30 people, including convicted criminals, gang members and friends, many with family ties to each other, who allegedly conspired to defraud the church.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of a “scheme to manufacture and assert fraudulent claims of priest sexual abuse for financial gain.” It alleges “a quid pro quo among coconspirators” who, planning to share settlement payouts, coached each other in successfully pursuing a claim and connect them to lawyers “who are expected to aggressively seek settlement even for the most dubious claims.”
“In some instances, the coconspirators exchange money even before achieving a settlement, enabled by litigation funding loans that are obtained with the assistance of plaintiff’s counsel,” according to the lawsuit.
In a press release about the countersuit, attorney James Geoly, the archdiocese’s general counsel, said, “We trust and believe people when they come forward with abuse claims. These individuals have violated that trust and have attempted to take advantage of it.”
“We have a duty to oppose claims we know are false to protect and stand up for real survivors of abuse who ultimately are the ones harmed by fraud,” he...
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