Sex Offender from Buffalo Grove Ordered to Pay $3.6 Million

A former Buffalo Grove man who pleaded guilty to sexual abuse has been ordered to pay more than $3 million to two women.

Kenneth W. Lundgren, now 48, was sued by the family of his teenage victim and her older sister in 2010, one month after he pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sexual abuse. The lawsuit sought payment for emotional distress, compensatory damages, punitive damages and legal expenses

In an April 12 judgment, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Martin Agran ordered Lundgren to pay $2.25 million to the younger sister and $1.4 million to the older sister. The judgment amounts account for past, present and emotional distress and punitive damages.

The lawsuit claimed the Lundgren offered drugs and alcohol to both teens, with whom he made “physical contact of an insulting, provoking and offensive manner” on multiple occasions between the winter of 2008 and January 2010.

Lundgren was never charged in connection to his alleged abuse of the older sister. The lawsuit, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Frank Andreou said, “gives her a civil remedy.”

“The numbers in the award may seem large but it is rather difficult to assess a dollar value for the deep pain these young women felt, and continue to feel, after they were victimized and exploited,” Andreou said.

“What this judgment does is vindicate them and simply means that this horrible sequence of events is not their fault,” he added. “I am also grateful that Attorney General, Lisa Madigan and her staff had the wherewithal to put together the Gender Violence Act which allows victims of sexual abuse to seek justice in a civil setting. Justice was indeed served.”

Lundgren, who is now a registered sex offender, currently lives in Des Plaines. The victims, who lived in Buffalo Grove, have also moved away.

“They are getting better, but they have a long way to go,” Andreou said.

They could also have a long way to go before they see any money, their attorney said. The next step is to try to collect on the award. Lundgren’s assets, if any, are unclear, he said.

Court records show that Lundgren’s wife filed for divorce shortly before he pleaded guilty in 2010. Andreou said he will look into whether Lundgren transferred his assets to his ex-wife.

If not, the plaintiffs “will probably never collect fully on the award,” their attorney said.

The judgment issued this month was by default. It came after Lundgren’s attorney withdrew from the case and Lundgren did not retain a new attorney or appear on his own behalf.

“Lundgren can try to vacate the default but as time passes, the likelihood of success decreases,” Andreou said. “After 30 days, it is very difficult to vacate a judgment."