How To File A Clergy Sex Abuse Lawsuit In Illinois (2026)

What Allegations Go Into a Sexual Assault Civil Lawsuit?

Personal injury lawsuits for sexual assault are each unique, with every survivor facing different scars. An experienced lawyer can identify the specific allegations you can raise according to the facts of your case. However, a typical civil lawsuit for sexual assault will contain intentional tort claims against the clergy member and negligence claims against the church.

Specifically, your lawsuit might include these intentional torts:

• Battery, for making harmful or offensive physical contact
• Assault, for causing fear of an imminent battery by actions or words
• False imprisonment, for blocking or detaining you from leaving

Your attorney does not need to prove a lack of consent in a civil lawsuit. A perpetrator may raise consent as a defense, but you can overcome this defense if the abuse was unwanted and you communicated that fact.

Similarly, you did not consent if you had a mental disability or illness that didn’t let you understand what you were doing, or if you were under the legal age of consent. An experienced clergy sexual abuse attorney can provide a listening ear and compassionate support in building a strong claim against the perpetrator.

Additionally, your case may include claims against any person or legal entity that enabled the attack or helped to cover it up. For example, you might have a claim against the church that employed the abuser due to negligence in the following areas:

• Hiring the perpetrator without conducting a background check
• Retaining the perpetrator after receiving credible allegations of abuse
• Transferring the perpetrator to conceal allegations against them
• Providing a job reference without warning of the perpetrator’s prior acts

To establish negligence, your personal injury lawyer will work to prove that the church had a duty of care to its congregation and that its acts breached that duty of care by exposing parishioners to an unreasonable risk of harm.

Damages Survivors Can Seek in Clergy Abuse Cases in Illinois

In a lawsuit for clergy sexual abuse in Illinois, you can receive damages that cover the medical expenses you had, including ongoing needs, as well as compensation for any lost wages or loss of earning potential that you experienced. Additionally, you can obtain compensation for the emotional and physical distress the assault caused.

Examples of evidence you may use to establish your losses include:

• Your testimony explaining your suffering
• Bills for doctors, therapists, and medication for conditions caused by the abuse
• Financial records, such as pay stubs, showing your lost income

The benefit of intentional tort claims is that you do not need to prove your losses. Keep in mind that you would need to present evidence of your losses for any negligence claims you assert against the church, though.

How Long Do I Have to File a Clergy Abuse Claim in Illinois?

To file a clergy abuse lawsuit, the statute of limitations can be extended from the normal two years that a personal injury claim would grant you. That’s because these cases generally involve children. The clock will start ticking the moment that you turn 18.

Clergy Sex Abuse Lawsuit: Who Can I Sue?

In a lawsuit involving clergy abuse in Illinois, you can sue the individual clergy involved as well as the religious institution they belonged to. The institution owed you a duty of care to keep you safe, which they failed to uphold.

Your lawyer will be able to determine all potential parties who could be responsible for the trauma you suffered.

Choosing a Clergy Sexual Abuse Lawyer in Illinois

To select an appropriate attorney, you must look for someone with experience in these types of cases. They must have been able to obtain significant settlements for clients and put you at ease with their communication style.

Begin a Lawsuit for Clergy Sexual Abuse in Illinois

At ConsumerShield, we can connect you with attorneys in your area who are ready to take on your case involving clergy sexual abuse in Illinois. Contact us to begin.