California man Thomas Emens filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles on Tuesday against Catholic bishops in California and the Archdiocese of Chicago, saying they conspired to commit and conceal sexual abuse.

Emens was sexually abused by his priest, Monsignor Thomas Joseph Mohan, from 1978 to 1980 when he was 10 to 12 years old. The lawsuit alleges Catholic officials concealed and failed to report systematic sexual abuse:

Defendants have fraudulently represented and continue to fraudulently represent to the public, including Plaintiff, that 1) there is no danger of child sex abuse at its facilities and in its programs; 2) they respond to allegations of sexual abuse promptly and effectively; 3) they cooperate with civil authorities; 4) they discipline offenders and/or 5) they provide a means of accountability to ensure the problem of clerical sex abuse is effectively dealt with.

The lawsuit charges the Catholic officials with civil conspiracy, public nuisance and private nuisance.

Countries around the world have been investigating allegations and taking legal action to combat sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. In late September the German Bishops Conference released a study, which found allegations of sexual abuse of minors by 1,670 clerics of the Catholic Church in Germany between 1946 and 2014. Earlier that month, after the release of the grand jury report that exposed widespread abuse within the Catholic Church, hundreds of victims across Pennsylvania were invited to join a massive class action lawsuit filed in Allegheny County.