Suit: Burbank park employee molested boy in 1980s
Sun-Times Media September 28, 2012 10:06PM
A man is suing a southwest suburban Burbank park district because a recreational director employed by the district allegedly sexually abused him in the 1980s.
Corey Ogden, 40, claims the director, who was also his basketball coach, molested him on at least 20 separate occasions when he was a young teen, according to the suit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court.
Ogden is seeking at least $50,000 from the park district for emotional trauma he continues to suffer, according to the suit.
The court filing alleges the park district employed the coach even though he was a convicted sex offender. Ogden alleges the coach groomed him for abuse, taking him to professional basketball games in order to gain his trust.
On multiple occasions between 1984 and 1985 the coach called Ogden into his office late at night, under the guise of helping the teen with his homework, the suit states. In the office the coach would sexually assault the boy, according to the suit.
Burbank Park District officials did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment. Ogden’s lawyer Joseph G. Klest could not be reached for comment.
The one count lawsuit alleges park district officials were negligent because they allowed the coach to interact with children despite his sex offense conviction.
The park district “acted with an utter indifference and conscious disregard” for children because officials failed to warn parents and children about the coach and failed to adequately investigate his background.
