Woman Sues Au Pair Agency after Son is Sexually Abused.
by Jennifer Fernicola, chicagonow.com/blogs
Cultural Care Refuses to Remove Au Pair, Who Then Sexually Abuses Young Child
A Lockport mother and son are suing their au pair placement agency after the au pair assigned to them allegedly sexually abused the young boy.
According to the complaint, the unnamed plaintiff sought the assistance of Cultural Care, Inc. in October of 2007 and was informed that an au pair named Julian from Columbia was available. The complaint states that defendant Dorte Strobel, an executive from Cultural Care, told plaintiff that if she did not pay the fee that evening and pick up Julian from his host family, he would be returned to Columbia and the search process for another au pair could take several months.
The complaint further states that Strobel told the plaintiff that Julian's "previous placement did not work out" and that his prior host family's telephone number would be provided but was not. Shortly thereafter, according to the lawsuit, Julian was having parties when plaintiff was not home and drinking and smoking against plaintiff's wishes.
In November, the plaintiff asserts that she complained to defendant Maureen McDonnell, Program Director from Cultural Care, but McDonnell would not remove Julian. Somewhere between November and December of 2007, Julian struck plaintiff's son, sexually abused him and took nude photos of him, the complaint states.
SOURCE: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bar-tender/2009/10/a-lockport-mother-and-son.html
