BELLEVILLE (IL)
Belleville News-Democrat
August 29, 2018
By Kaley Johnson
A coach at St. Clare Catholic School in O’Fallon sexually abused a girl for five years with the school and diocese’s knowledge, according to a lawsuit filed Aug. 20 in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
In the lawsuit, the girl is referred to as Jane Doe, who says St. Clare coach Michael Giordano sexually abused her from 2009 through 2014.
Giordano could not be reached for comment.
Three former school principals and current athletic director Thomas Fischer are also named in the suit and accused of failing to report the abuse when it was made known to them. The lawsuit argues these four employees, who worked for the Diocese of Belleville and St. Clare, intentionally concealed Jane Doe’s abuse in order to preserve the reputations of both institutions.
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