Lawsuit: Chicago archdiocese hid sex abuse, created nuisance

CHICAGO (AP) - A man who says he was sexually abused by a former priest is suing the Archdiocese of Chicago, claiming it created a "public nuisance" by shielding pedophile priests and allowing them to live freely in the community.

The claim filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court resembles a similar one filed in Minnesota in recent years, and comes atop other recent legal action taken in Chicago by plaintiffs and their attorneys.

Last year, the archdiocese released thousands of files on dozens of priests that it identified as abusers.

But Chicago attorney Marc Pearlman says a nuisance claim allows victims to seek evidence of sexual abuse across the archdiocese, rather than focus on allegations against one individual. The lawsuit seeks disclosure of the names and documents for all abusive clergy dating to 1950.

The nuisance suit was successful in Minnesota, where it forced the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona to disclose tens of thousands of church documents and the names of dozens of accused priests.

Pearlman is working with Jeff Anderson, the Minnesota attorney who handled the cases there.

An archdiocese spokeswoman responded in a statement that the church "voluntarily" released almost 22,000 pages of documents related to 66 priests last year. She said other documents tied up in pending litigation would be released "when it is appropriate to do so."

The spokeswoman said the archdiocese encourages anyone who has been sexually abused to come forward and report it.