Priest Repeatedly Sued And Accused Of Sexual Abuse Gets Sued By Another Former Altar Boy

A Catholic priest who served in the Diocese of Joliet was sued by yet another former altar boy claiming he was sexually abused in the 1970s.

Former priest Lawrence Gibbs and the Diocese of Joliet were both named as defendants in the lawsuit filed in Will County court by 47-year-old Stan Lewandowski.

Lewandowski was a 10-year-old altar boy at “Devine (sic) Savior Catholic Church in Downers Grove” in the summer of 1977, the lawsuit said.

During that summer, Lewandowski went on a religious retreat at which Gibbs “served as the supervisor of several young boys,” the suit said. During the retreat, Gibbs “provided the minor boys with alcohol, pornography, played pornographic films, had the minor boys play strip poker, taught the minor boys to masturbate, provided pornographic magazines and performed oral sex on the minor boys,” the suit said.

“Due to shame, embarrassment, fear and psychological trauma, (Lewandowski) suppressed the memory of his abuse and was unaware of the event or injury he suffered as a result of the sexual molestation during his adulthood,” the lawsuit said. He “continued to repress his memory of the abuse throughout his adult life, suffering greatly as a result of the repression.”

But then, around the weekend of Sept. 24, 2010, Lewandowski “discovered that he was repressing the memories of his having been abused as a minor child by Lawrence Gibbs and discovered his injuries,” the suit said.

Lewandowski’s wife, Cindy Lewandowski, was also listed as a plaintiff on the lawsuit. The Lewandowskis’ attorney, David Nemeroff, failed to return calls for comment.

Six other men have sued Gibbs in Will County court. Four of the suits were settled in the 1990s. A 2013 lawsuit was settled in May. Another suit originally filed in June 2012 remains pending.

Gibbs left the priesthood in 1992, diocese spokesman Edward Flavin after the 2013 lawsuit was filed. Flavin confirmed that Gibbs was still alive at the time but did not disclose his whereabouts.

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