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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Chicago Tribune
After a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse decades ago at Maryville Academy, a Lake Zurich priest is placed on leave for the third time
The letter arrived in late July with the tone of the two before it, the ones that announced the Rev. David Ryan, a longtime Chicago-area priest, had been placed on leave amid allegations of child sexual abuse. This one, like those previous, came with a sense of the somber, an acknowledgment of the severity of the accusations and a reminder of the presumption of innocence. The letter was dated July 29, with Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, addressing the St. Francis de Sales parish community in Lake Zurich. It marked at least the third time since 2020 that Cupich had sent such a note acknowledging the accusations that have embroiled Ryan. The cardinal opened this latest letter with a line that now felt familiar amid controversy that refuses to fade: 'It is with great difficulty that I write to share news about your pastor …' The archdiocese first placed Ryan on leave in 2020 amid allegations that he abused a minor at Maryville Academy, then a church-run home for troubled youth in Des Plaines. He was reinstated in September 2021, only for Cupich to address the congregation days later with the revelation of 'additional information, not previously provided … that will mean delaying Father Ryan's return.' In February, 2023, he was reinstated, again, with Cupich making a plea: 'We must keep our word,' he wrote, 'and do everything possible to restore Fr. Ryan's good name.' Now there's another allegation that in the mid-1990s, during his years on staff at Maryville Academy, Ryan sexually abused a child. The allegation is part of a civil complaint that Chicago lawyer Mike Grieco filed against Maryville last week in Cook County. These days, Grieco, 35, describes a sense of urgency surrounding the matter. He said he has tried to 'push the archdiocese' to examine testimony that Ryan recently provided in a deposition concerning the alleged abuse at Maryville. Grieco said he questioned Ryan in June at the office of Ryan's defense attorney and that Ryan's answers reflected 'the issues on campus' at Maryville during his tenure there. Ryan's attorney did not respond to requests for comment. Grieco and his firm, Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, represent about 30 individuals who allege they suffered sexual abuse while they attended Maryville decades ago. Most of those allegations surround the Rev. John P. Smyth, a Chicago archdiocese priest who spent more than 40 years in leadership roles at Maryville, including that of executive director. Smyth, who left Maryville in 2004, died in April 2019, around the time accusers began to emerge claiming that he'd sexually abused them when they were children. Lawsuits that Grieco and his firm filed in recent months detail sordid accusations against Smyth, including those of rape and molestation. Ryan served as Smyth's co-director at Maryville in the 1990s, when much of the abuse is alleged to have occurred. In the complaint filed last week, a former Maryville resident, identified in court documents as John Doe 6, alleged that he was sexually abused by Smyth and Ryan after being placed at Maryville in 1996. The lawsuit states the alleged abuse took place for about a year when the boy was around 11 years old. The filing also contains accusations from nearly a dozen other victims, identified only by number. Victim No. 11, as the lawsuit describes him, claimed that Smyth and Ryan made him 'feel like a 'sex slave'' while he lived at Maryville. John Doe 6 is 'working through' the trauma detailed in the lawsuit, Grieco said. Grieco and his associates have been 'trying to build as much credibility and rapport as we can with him, to (help him to) open up,' the attorney said. 'You know, people don't want to talk about this stuff,' Grieco said. 'They don't want to trust somebody new. They don't want to do it if they don't think it's going to actually bring justice. I think he's struggling from an emotional perspective. He's a single guy, no family, but he's kind of working through it, and he's been in some therapy, as well.' The previous allegations against Ryan led to suspensions but, ultimately, his reinstatement as pastor at St. Francis de Sales, where he was first appointed in 2006 and reappointed in 2012. In 2023, upon Ryan's most recent reinstatement, Cupich in his letter to the church community cited a lack of cooperation from Ryan's accusers. Cupich referenced what he described as a 'thorough investigation' by the archdiocese before reaching his decision to reinstate Ryan. Contacted by email about the most recent allegations against Ryan, an archdiocese spokesperson wrote that 'we do not comment on investigations' but shared a flowchart detailing its internal investigative process. According to the document, allegations of child sexual abuse first make their way into the archdiocese's Office for the Protection of Children & Youth, which then launches a child abuse and investigations review. In addition to being investigated for its veracity, the allegation is shared with law enforcement and the archbishop at the review stage. The archdiocese's Independent Review Board evaluates the investigation and then 'determines whether there is reasonable cause to believe that the abuse occurred.' In the final part of the process, the IRB makes a recommendation to the archbishop about the accused individual's 'fitness for ministry.' In his 2023 letter, Cupich wrote that Ryan's accusers 'refused to cooperate with both civil and church investigations.' As a result, he wrote, 'the IRB finds that there is not sufficient reason to suspect Father Ryan is guilty of sexually abusing a minor and recommends he be returned to ministry and that the files be closed on these two claims due to the lack of cooperation of those making the accusations.' 'Therefore, I am pleased to inform you that I have accepted this recommendation and I am reinstating Father Ryan as your pastor, effective immediately.' Grieco said Ryan's newest accuser is willing to cooperate with investigators, and that 'we are setting a date for the (archdiocese) review board to take his statement.' The alleged victim will also provide a statement to police, said Grieco, who expressed skepticism about the archdiocese's ability or willingness to investigate Ryan. 'I believe there's some bias to it,' Grieco said, arguing that 'the process needs to go beyond, 'Did you do it?' 'That's not a question and answer session that gets to the truth.' He said he 'would encourage (the archdiocese) to look at this holistically, too' and take into account the troubled history at Maryville. It opened in 1883 as St. Mary's Training School, an orphanage that 'was a place for dependent and neglected boys,' according to its website. It began accepting girls in 1911. In the early 2000s, a series of 'grim headlines,' as the Tribune characterized them at the time, rocked the campus. A 14-year-old died by suicide and was found hanging in a shower. An 11-year-old was allegedly raped. Smyth, the longtime priest who was then the executive director, resigned in disgrace. Fifteen years later, in 2019, allegations of sustained and habitual sexual abuse emerged — first levied at Smyth and then his longtime right hand, Ryan. Megan Biasco, the director of development at Maryville, wrote in an email last week that 'our mission is to protect children.' 'We were made aware of the allegations from more than 20 years ago,' she wrote. 'We are looking into it.' The accusations have reopened old wounds, if they ever healed. In his most recent letter to the St. Francis de Sales community, Cupich referenced the recent past: that both Ryan and his church have 'experience with our processes for handling allegations' concerning child sexual abuse. Cupich wrote that Ryan 'strenuously denies this allegation, and states that he has never harmed a child,' and once again noted that the archdiocese's investigative process begins 'with the presumption that one is innocent until proven otherwise.' In the civil complaints he has filed, meanwhile, Grieco and his team have referenced a tortured past and the difficulty the Catholic Church has had confronting a notorious legacy of child sexual abuse. Some of the filings reference a report Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, then the archbishop of Chicago, commissioned in 1992 that offered a plan for addressing 'clerical sexual misconduct' involving children. Among those interviewed for the report was Smyth, who then was more than 20 years into his tenure as the executive director at Maryville. Smyth told the report's authors that 'the archdiocese invests considerable resources in the seminary system, but virtually nothing to support and supervise priests after ordination.' According to the lawsuit, Smyth said that 'priests are vulnerable to false accusations.' But also, that 'some children can be seductive, and priests naive.'
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Associated Press
Motion for Expedited Discovery in Jane Doe v. Weiss et al. to Protect and Inform Victims of Privacy Breach
The motion will speed up discovery in the case of Jane Doe v. Weiss et al. so victims can be informed of potential exposure and protect themselves CHICAGO, IL, April 8, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- Today, Parker Stinar, Managing Partner of Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC, filed a Motion for Expedited Discovery with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to speed up discovery in the case of Jane Doe v. Weiss et al. so victims can be informed of potential exposure and protect themselves. This case involves the illegal access of personal and intimate data of over 150,000 athletes across the country, including current and former female athletes from the University of Michigan. 'The University of Michigan continues to fail and betray their current and former female athletes by not notifying them that a University of Michigan 'flaw' in their computer network led to their information being compromised. Young current or former female student-athletes across the country have had their personal and intimate information stolen, and they deserve to know immediately what was compromised so they can take the appropriate steps to protect themselves and secure their identities,' said Stinar, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. The case centers around Matthew Weiss, a former University of Michigan quarterback coach, who was arrested for illegally accessing more than 3,000 University of Michigan athletes' personal information, including sensitive data such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and intimate photos and videos. Additionally, over 150,000 other collegiate athletes nationwide were similarly affected. Weiss' actions have raised grave concerns about the handling of personal data by both the university and the athletics department. Despite knowing about the compromised data since at least 2022, the University of Michigan has failed to notify the affected students and alumni about the breach, leaving them in the dark about the potential misuse of their information. Stinar's motion seeks to expedite discovery in order to protect the rights of those whose personal identifying information, photos, and videos may have been sold or shared on the dark web or distributed to unauthorized parties. Stinar, alongside his litigation team from Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, Bailey Glasser, and Wagstaff Law, is committed to holding the University of Michigan accountable for its institutional failures and ensuring justice for the individuals whose lives have been irrevocably impacted by this breach of trust and privacy. 'We are committed to protecting all individuals affected by this breach and demanding accountability from both Matthew Weiss and the University of Michigan,' added Stinar. 'The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated, and we will continue to fight for the victims who deserve justice.' About Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC is a law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals in complex litigation matters. The firm has extensive experience in class action lawsuits, privacy law, and representing victims of institutional failures. Managing Partner, Parker Stinar, previously led the University of Michigan/Robert Anderson sexual abuse matter which resolved for $490 million dollars for more than 1,000 individuals. For more information, visit
Associated Press
28-03-2025
- Associated Press
First Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against University of Michigan for Massive Privacy Breach Affecting Thousands of Female Athletes
Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC has filed the first class action lawsuit against the University of Michigan CHICAGO, IL, March 27, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC has filed the first class action lawsuit against the University of Michigan, the Regents of the University of Michigan, Matthew Weiss, and Keffer Development Services, LLC, alleging a massive breach of privacy affecting over 3,300 individuals, primarily female student-athletes. The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Case No. 2:25-cv-10806), alleges that defendants allowed unauthorized access to sensitive personal information, private photographs, and videos of thousands of student-athletes. According to the complaint, Matthew Weiss, a former University of Michigan employee, allegedly accessed—without authorization—the social media accounts, emails, cloud storage, and personal information of thousands of female student-athletes over approximately eight years (2015-2023). The complaint alleges that Weiss targeted female athletes and downloaded private photographs and videos that were never intended to be shared beyond the plaintiffs' intimate partners. 'This case represents one of the most significant breaches of student-athlete privacy in recent memory,' said Parker Stinar, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. 'Our clients placed their trust in the University of Michigan and its vendors, only to have their most personal and private information compromised due to what we allege was negligence and recklessness.' The lawsuit alleges that the University of Michigan, its Regents, and Keffer Development Services failed to implement adequate security measures, proper supervision, or employee monitoring that would have protected the plaintiffs' privacy. According to the complaint, Weiss allegedly: Gained unauthorized access to student-athlete databases maintained by Keffer Development Services Downloaded personally identifiable information (PII) and medical data of more than 150,000 athletes Obtained passwords used by athletes to access computer systems Used this access to download private photographs and videos The lawsuit includes claims for violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Stored Communications Act, Title IX, and various state laws involving invasion of privacy, negligence, and conversion. The plaintiffs are seeking damages exceeding $100 million, along with costs, interest, and attorney fees. The class action complaint seeks to represent all persons whose personal information, images, data, social media, or videos were accessed by Weiss without authorization. 'This lawsuit is not only about seeking justice for those whose information was stolen but also about forcing the University of Michigan to confront its systemic failures and ensure such breaches never happen again. The case will hold the institution accountable for its lack of appropriate safeguards and transparency regarding the security of its student-athletes' personal and medical data. In the face of such violations, SGGH is committed to turning over every stone in our pursuit of justice. Through litigation, we will uncover the flaws in Michigan's cyber security protocols that led to this massive breach, and demand real change to protect vulnerable individuals from similar harms in the future. We will fight relentlessly to secure justice for all those affected.' said Parker Stinar, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. This case highlights the growing concern around data privacy and the security of personal information in the digital age, particularly in university settings where students entrust institutions with their personal data. About Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC is a law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals in complex litigation matters. The firm has extensive experience in class action lawsuits, privacy law, and representing victims of institutional failures. Managing Partner, Parker Stinar, previously led the University of Michigan/Robert Anderson sexual abuse matter which resolved for $490 million dollars for more than 1,000 individuals. For more information, visit
