LAKE COUNTY — Between $4 million and $5 million in damages are listed in the civil law suit claiming the Rev. Ted Oswald sexually abused Christopher Griego more than 10 years ago, according to Santa Rosa Diocese attorney Dan Galvin. Griego alleges he was an altar boy at the time.
The damages are broken down into five categories, according to Galvin, including current and future medical needs, current and future wage loss and general damages. The diocese has not responded to the suit yet, he said, but has 30 days from when the suit was amended May 5 to name Oswald and Roman Catholic Bishop of Santa Rosa Daniel Walsh as defendants.
Griego”s Hayward attorney Rick Simons said the law doesn”t allow attorneys, claimants or defendants to set the amount of a judgment in an injury case.
“When a law suit is served, you have to fill out a form in case the other side doesn”t answer. You have to put in numbers on the form so that if the other side doesn”t answer, the court can enter a defaulted judgment, but even in that situation, the court sets the amount of the judgment,” Simons said.
Simons said he anticipates that the defendants will respond, and Walsh has already contacted him.
Oswald is on administrative leave from St. Mary Immaculate in Lakeport, where he served as pastor for more than 20 years, according to Santa Rosa Diocese spokeswoman Deirdre Frontczak. Oswald is also on leave from his chaplain posts at the Lakeport Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff”s Department.
Galvin said the diocese”s review board is reviewing the case.
“If the diocese concludes that there is no merit to the claim, we will not be willing to pay damages,” Galvin said.
Oswald is the 21st Catholic priest in the Santa Rosa Diocese to be accused of sexual misconduct since the diocese was founded in 1962, according to Frontczak. In the last 10 years, she said just less than $25 million has been paid in settlements of six cases.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
