IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - A South Carolina man who attended Roman Catholic schools in Sioux City has filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against the diocese and a former priest who has been named in more than two dozen similar lawsuits and claims.

The new lawsuit, filed Friday in Woodbury County District Court, alleges the man was abused by the Rev. George McFadden in 1959 when McFadden was serving as assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception grade school. The victim attended the school between the first and seventh grade and served as an altar boy, according to the lawsuit.

The victim claims the abuse caused severe emotional distress, depression and withdrawal from friends and family. The lawsuit blames church officials for failing to discipline McFadden despite being aware of numerous abuse allegations at the time.

"After learning of McFadden's ongoing sexual abuse, the diocese did nothing to protect the children of the parish, took no action to mitigate the damage … and took no action against McFadden," the lawsuit said.

McFadden is retired and living in Ft. Wayne, Ind., according to the victim's attorney, Steve Rhinehart, of Sioux City. McFadden was removed from public ministry in the early 1990s, but he has not been defrocked by the Vatican, Rhinehart said.

Diocese spokesman Jim Wharton was out of the office Friday afternoon.

As of last July, the diocese had settled at least 22 lawsuits or sexual abuse claims, all naming McFadden. Three other lawsuits are pending against the diocese and McFadden.

Last summer, a district judge dismissed a separate lawsuit naming McFadden, ruling that the statute of limitations had expired. That ruling is being appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court.

During his career, McFadden was assigned to at least six parishes throughout the diocese. McFadden began working at Immaculate Conception school in 1957, according to the lawsuit.