LOUISVILLE (KY)
WHAS 11 [Louisville, KY]
September 18, 2026
By Margaret Vancampen
According to the lawsuit, the woman’s job and family were threatened if she reported the abuse.
A woman filed a lawsuit against her supervisor, a Catholic priest, a church, and the Archdiocese of Louisville Thursday after she was allegedly raped for months.
The woman accepted a janitor position with Our Lady of Lourdes in April 2025 and is in the United States on a green card, the lawsuit stated.
Shortly after she started working there, her direct supervisor started making sexual advances that quickly escalated to sexual assaults in the boiler and maintenance room, according to the lawsuit. He threatened her by saying if she reported the abuse, she would be fired.
The abuse happened so frequently that a delivery person walked in and saw the supervisor’s exposed genitalia in the lunchroom, according to the lawsuit.
She decided in June 2025 to report the abuse to the priest at the church, who said he was good friends with her supervisor and that she was lying, according to the lawsuit. He said her family would be threatened if she reported the matter any further.
The abuse continued until the supervisor’s disappearance from the church to have a reported “medical procedure,” the lawsuit stated.
When the maintenance coordinator replaced him, he learned of the abuse from an “unknown source” and told her to report it to human resources; however, because she was scared of losing her job and didn’t immediately report it, he reported it to HR in October 2025, the lawsuit showed.
Our Lady of Lourdes HR later met with both the victim and the priest to discuss the abuse claim; he began by accusing her of lying but later told her to write down the allegations, according to the lawsuit.
She also filed a police report with the St. Matthews Police Department, per the lawsuit.
Chief Barry Wilkerson said they are investigating a sexual misconduct case at Our Lady of Lourdes and are talking with the prosecutor’s office to determine if charges need to be filed.
A judge then filed an Intrapersonal Protective Order against the supervisor in November, but it was later converted to a three-year Domestic Violence Order on Dec. 11, 2025, according to the lawsuit.
The parish recently announced that another priest would be filling in at the church “for an indefinite period of time,” the lawsuit showed.
She sought treatment from three different providers for the psychological effects stemming from the abuse, and it was supposed to be paid for by the church, according to the lawsuit. However, the church’s HR said they wouldn’t pay for the sessions, and she wasn’t able to continue receiving care.
She alleges she’s suffered retaliation, as she said she wasn’t compensated for cleaning the entire facility of Our Lady of Lourdes in 2025 and her weekly hours were “significantly reduced.”
She is suing the defendants for neglect, violating her civil rights, battery, assault, and false imprisonment.
The lawsuit seeks a judgment against the defendants, compensatory damages in an amount to be proven at trial, punitive damages, her costs incurred, and “all other relieve which is just and proper.”
WHAS11 News reached out to the Archdiocese, and a spokesperson said they do not comment on pending litigation.