A man blamed for causing his 12-year-old daughter’s battle with eating disorders and suicidal thoughts due to years of alleged sexual assault is denying allegations in a suit brought by the girl's mother.
Defendant Richard Yohn answered a St. Clair County lawsuit on Nov. 20 through attorney Denis A. McGrady, Jr. of Campbell & McGrady in Gillespie.
The mother of the minor girl, identified as Mary Doe, claims in her Sept. 24 lawsuit that Yohn sexually assaulted her daughter and posted inappropriate pictures of her online.
Yohn was arrested by Belvidere, Ill. in April 2010 and charged with 95 counts of aggravated child pornography and a weapons charge. Then in July 2012, he pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Mary Doe claims Yohn began sexually assaulting and battering Jane Doe in 2006 when she was just six years old. The abuse continued until March 2010, the suit states. He also forced her to pose for photos, which were shared online, the suit claims.
Mary Doe seeks a judgment of more than $40 million, a protective order prohibiting Yohn from contacting or harassing Jane Doe and other relief the court deems just.
St. Clair County Circuit Judge Andrew Gleeson scheduled a mandatory status conference for Dec. 9 at 9 a.m.
Benjamin R. Schmickle, J. Joseph Kusmierczak and Matthew C. Morris of SWMK Law in St. Louis is representing the plaintiffs.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 13-L-495
Father accused in civil suit of sexual assault on daughter denies allegations; mother seeks $40 million
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