(Belleville, IL) — A lawsuit in St. Clair County alleges the Belleville Diocese protected a priest now accused of sexual abuse and exploitation. The lawsuit filed by Laura Merleau-McGrady accuses the Reverend Osang Idagbo of sexually exploiting a “vulnerable parishioner” by having inappropriate contact with her while she sought his counsel and was in the process of converting to Catholicism. The suit says his victim reported the abuse to Bishop Edward Braxton and Monsignor John McEvilly, but no action was taken to investigate or discipline Idagbo. Idagbo is currently assigned to Saints Peter and Paul Church in Waterloo, Illinois.