ILLINOIS
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Jesse Bogan St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS • A lawsuit filed Tuesday in St. Clair County, Ill., alleges the Belleville Diocese “created a foreseeable zone of risk of sexual abuse and exploitation” by a Roman Catholic priest.
The Rev. Osang Idagbo, currently the parish administrator at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Waterloo, is accused of manipulating a vulnerable woman between December 2013 and July 2015, while she sought his counsel about becoming Catholic and getting through a rough relationship with her husband.
The lawsuit alleges sexual contact happened between Idagbo and Laura Merleau-McGrady at the rectory at Saints Peter and Paul, at the plaintiff’s home and at various locations.
Idagbo is not named as a defendant in the case, only the diocese, which is accused of negligent supervision of him. The suit seeks more than $50,000 in compensation.
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