Cupich expected to testify in trial over Orland Park fatal crash involving drunk priest

ORLAND PARK, Ill. - Cardinal Blase Cupich is expected to testify during a trial at a trial over a fatal accident involving a drunk priest.

Rev. Paul Burak was accused of killing an Orland Park teacher and hurting another after leaving a Christmas party in 2019 before driving off.

Burak was at the same party. He was charged with driving under the influence, but those charges were later dropped after police say his sobriety tests weren't valid.

Burak was still facing charges for leaving the scene of a fatal accident, but he died two years later.

The trial for the woman who was injured is set to happen next month. It calls for punitive damages against the Archdiocese of Chicago, and her attorney’s on the case say Cupich should be called to testify.

"We are seeking leave to call Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, at trial as a witness based on new disclosures that the archdiocese has filed in this case," said attorney Lance Northcutt. "We have waited for years for justice for Elizabeth Kosteck and her friend who was killed, and what we are encountering now are a series of tactical delays."

The case is set for trial on Nov. 6.