MILWAUKEE (WI)
Fox News
The Associated Press
MILWAUKEE – Billy Kirchen says the sexual abuse began when he was about 11, when his choir director at a Milwaukee parish assaulted him in the 1970s. After five years of abuse he reported the alleged perpetrator, but says prosecutors and officials with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee did nothing.
Now he’s hoping a financial claim against the archdiocese will finally lead to the emotional closure he has craved. Kirchen is one of about 550 people who filed a claim by Wednesday’s deadline. Like many of them he said he’s not looking to cash in — what he really wants is accountability.
The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection last year, saying pending sex-abuse lawsuits could leave it with debts it couldn’t afford. As part of the filing, all sex-abuse victims were given until Wednesday to file a claim seeking monetary damages.
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