PITTSBURGH — A man who had been kept away from his children for nearly a year because he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl is being allowed supervised visits while his lawsuit against a county agency moves forward.

The man, identified in court papers only as John Doe, contends the relationship was legal because he waited until his girlfriend turned 16 — the age of consent in Pennsylvania — to start having sex. He said he even checked with a crime victim hot line to make sure, according to his lawsuit.

Fayette County Children Youth and Services, however, called the relationship abuse. In August, the agency said he could no longer see his children.

The children had been staying with his parents while the agency investigated his relationship with the teen. Between September 2006 and August, he was allowed to see them with his parents present.

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania sued the agency in U.S. District Court seeking to reunite him with his children, ages 8, 6 and 5. It also said it was unconstitutional for the agency to prevent parents from having contact with their children when there was no allegation that they abused their children.