San Francisco church settles abuse case

Published: Sept. 22, 2008 at 11:55 AM

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The Greek Orthodox Metropolis church of San Francisco has settled a lawsuit in which a man alleged he was sexually abused by his priest, lawyers say.

Lawyers for both sides offered few comments regarding the concluded litigation that focused on allegations made by a man with a serious mental illness who allegedly was molested by the Rev. Michael Rymer, the San Francisco Chronicle said Sunday.

The man, whose identity was not revealed, accused Rymer of taking advantage of his troubled emotional state to have a lengthy sexual relationship despite his position and his HIV-positive status.

The alleged victim had previously been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a disorder that significantly impacted his cognitive functioning, the suit alleged.

Since certain church officials allegedly knew of the illicit relationship and did nothing, the church was accused of misconduct in the suit, court records show. Rymer was accused of sexual battery.

The undisclosed settlement in the case came after San Francisco Superior Judge Patrick Mahoney warned church officials last Thursday potential punitive damages in the suit could be quite high if the church lost the case, the Chronicle said.

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