The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago filed a lawsuit last month alleging that a group of conspirators engaged in a racketeering scheme to defraud the archdiocese by falsely claiming priest sexual abuse. Quotes offered from recorded conversations speak of “free money” and the ease of making a claim.

This suit represents perhaps the first serious legal pushback against false clergy sexual abuse claims by the Catholic Church in the more than 20 years since this tragic topic first dominated the press. Sadly, it underscores the concern that not all accusations of clergy abuse are legitimate.

I have been working in this area for over 35 years as a psychologist treating clerical abuse victims and perpetrators; consulting on regional and national committees about child protection in the church; and conducting research as a professor, so I was not at all surprised by the allegation of false claims. Unfortunately, I have seen this before.

As far as we can tell, the vast majority of accusations of clerical sexual abuse appear to be true with substantiated evidence — and thus should be believed. However, tragically, there are many false claims, too. Some, as the Chicago Archdiocese case alleges, are made by people seeking financial benefits or easy money. Because the payout may near or exceed $1 million per victim, it is easy to see how some dishonest and unethical people might want to take advantage of the opportunity to get free money.

In some cases, claims may be made sincerely,...

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