SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A San Francisco man has been charged with battering an elderly priest he says abused him and his brother almost 40 years ago.
William Lynch, 44, of San Francisco was released Friday on $25,000 bail after surrendering to face an assault charge, the San Jose Mercury News reported. He allegedly assaulted the Rev. Jerold Lindner at the Sacred Heart Retirement Home in Los Gatos in May.
Investigators say Lynch tricked his way into the retirement home by calling and saying he had to notify the priest about someone who had died. He then told the priest "you abused me and my brother" and began hitting him, injuring the 65-year-old man so severely he had to be hospitalized.
The brothers have settled a lawsuit against the Jesuits. Pat Harris, a Los Angeles lawyer, said he filed a lawsuit for Lynch this week against the Vatican.
