By AP/KWMU
Belleville, Ill. – A St. Clair County jury has awarded $5 million to a man who sued the Diocese of Belleville, saying it covered up alleged sexual abuse by a priest in the 1970s.
On Wednesday the jury found the diocese "fraudulently concealed" James Wisniewski's claims.
Wisniewski filed a civil lawsuit in 2002. He said Wednesday was a "great day" for him and other abuse victims.
Wisniewski said the Reverend Raymond Kownacki molested him when he was an altar boy. Former Belleville Bishop Wilton Gregory testified on Tuesday that key documents about Kownacki were kept from him.
Gregory removed Kownacki from the active ministry in 1995, however Kownacki was never charged criminally.