William O'Malley, Priest from 'The Exorcist,' Accused of Sexually Abusing Student

The real-life priest who played Father Dyer in the 1973 classic "The Exorcist" is being accused of sexually abusing a 17-year-old student during his time as a catholic school teacher.

**William O'Malley **is mentioned in a massive lawsuit that was filed this week in upstate New York by multiple people who claim they were victims of abuse. The lawsuit was filed against the Diocese of Rochester and several catholic schools and churches in the area.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, one of the plaintiffs, only referred to as J.W., claims O'Malley "used his position as a priest to groom and to sexually abuse plaintiff J.W."

J.W. claims the abuse happened in 1985 and 1986 and occurred at the school — McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, New York — where O'Malley worked. J.W. claims the alleged incidents "occurred during activities that were sponsored by, or were a direct result of activities sponsored by, the Diocese and McQuaid, including during school hours and during school activities."

In the lawsuit, J.W. says that he and his parents would not have allowed him to be around O'Malley "if the Diocese or McQuaid had disclosed to J.W. or his parents that Father O'Malley was not safe and was not trustworthy, and that he in fact posed a danger to J.W. in that Father O'Malley was likely to sexually abuse J.W."

O'Malley was also a teacher at Fordham Prep in the Bronx until he was let go from his position in 2012 after 20 years at the school.

The president of the school told the New York Post at the time, "Father O’Malley’s style was probably more abrasive than we are used to and something we discussed with the principal over the years."