A lawsuit filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court alleges the Catholic Archdiocese of Springfield enabled and concealed the repeated sexual abuse of a child by a former priest at St. Mary's Catholic School and Parish in Taylorville during the early 1990s.

The complaint, filed by the law firm Gould Grieco & Hensley on behalf of an unidentified plaintiff, alleges that Father John O'Connell sexually abused the child on multiple occasions between approximately 1991 and 1994 while the boy attended St. Mary's School serving as an altar boy. O'Connell died in 2002.

According to the lawsuit, the alleged abuse took place on church property, including during altar server training and while preparing for Mass. The complaint claims O'Connell used his position of authority and trust to isolate the child while he was under the church's care.

The lawsuit further alleges that church officials knew of the risks posed by clergy sexual abuse but failed to implement adequate safeguards, investigate allegations, report misconduct to law enforcement, or remove priests accused of abuse from positions where they had access to children. The complaint also alleges the Diocese of Springfield has never publicly identified O'Connell as a priest facing allegations of child sexual abuse.

Attorneys representing the plaintiff contend the church violated the trust placed in it by families and are seeking to hold the Diocese accountable for what they describe as systemic failures to protect children from abuse.

The lawsuit also references the 2023 Illinois Attorney General's investigation, which found nearly 700 Catholic clergy members across Illinois had been accused of sexual misconduct, which proves to be significantly more than had previously been disclosed by the church. The complaint alleges the Diocese of Springfield was among those that failed to fully investigate abuse claims or take meaningful action to protect children.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff continues to experience lasting emotional, psychological, and spiritual trauma stemming from the alleged abuse. The lawsuit seeks damages and accountability for the alleged failures of the Diocese while aiming to prevent similar harm in the future.

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