The Illinois priest abuse attorneys of Dolan Law Offices understand that abuse by a priest or clergy member forever changes the life of a victim.  While a civil lawsuit cannot undo the effects of sexual abuse or take away the physical or emotional pain of the victim, it can provide the victim with economic compensation and, perhaps, deter other priests from abusing other victims in the future.

Time Allowed to Bring a Lawsuit

Illinois law provides a statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit related to childhood sexual abuse.  Generally, a lawsuit must be brought within ten years of a child’s 18th birthday unless one of the following exceptions applies:

  • If the victim has genuinely repressed the memory of being abused then the time for filing a lawsuit is within 5 years of when the victim knew or should have known of the alleged abuse. This may be at any age without regard to the general 10 year rule; or
  • If the victim is being harassed or threatened to keep silent regarding the sexual abuse, then the statute of limitations is suspended for the time period during which the harassing or threatening behavior occurs. For example, if the victim was continuously threatened into silence from the time of the abuse through his or her 25th birthday then the statute of limitations would not start to run until the victim’s 25th birthday and the victim could file a lawsuit within 10 years of that date, or by his or her 35th birthday.

The Lawsuit

Victims of childhood sexual abuse by an Illinois priest may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the priest and his employer, such as the Archdiocese.   The victim, together with his or her Illinois priest abuse attorney would need to prove that the priest owed a duty of care to the victim, that the priest breached that duty, that the breach of duty resulted in harm to the victim, and that the victim is entitled to damages as a matter of law.

Carefully Choose your Chicago Priest Abuse Attorney

Priest abuse cases often gather much media attention and the defendant(s) may pressure plaintiffs to settle quickly.  It is, therefore, important to hire an attorney who is sensitive to the personal trauma that you have endured, who is capable of handling the media and who is both a tough negotiator and a shrewd litigator.

Dolan Law Offices represents victims who have been sexually abused by priests throughout Illinois and the greater Chicagoland area, including Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, McHenry County, and Will County, and the towns of Aurora, Addison, Chicago Heights, Joliet, Hillsdale, Plainfield, Rolling Meadows, Des Plains, Schaumburg, Palatine, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Hanover Park, Streamwood, Prospect Heights, Wheeling, Wheaton, Waukegan, Inverness, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Elgin, Bartlett, Itasca, Bloomingdale and Oak Park.

Please contact us today for a free consultation.  The Chicago priest abuse attorneys of Dolan Law Offices will not collect a fee from you unless your case results in a monetary verdict or settlement.