The Rev. Leo P. Riley is expected to go to trial later this month on charges of sexual abuse in Iowa.
Days before then, however, he is also scheduled to sit for deposition testimony in a Sarasota County civil case.
Charlotte County took Riley, 68, into custody in April on an Iowa warrant. He was extradited to Dubuque County, Iowa, where he has been charged with five counts of capital sexual battery.
Pretrial conference is currently scheduled for July 22, while a jury trial is scheduled to begin July 30, according to Iowa state court records.
The allegations against Riley date back to his time as a priest in Iowa during the 1980s.
Riley was later transferred to the Diocese of Venice and served as a parish priest for several Catholic churches in the Port Charlotte-Punta Gorda area.
The Diocese — which covers most of southwest Florida down to Collier County — was also named as a respondent in a 2020 lawsuit alleging wrongdoing by Riley and a lay employee.
The lawsuit alleges that a former student at St. Charles Borromeo in Port Charlotte was sexually abused by former music teacher Alan Klispie. The abuse would have taken place in 1994 or 1995.
The student then went to Riley to report the abuse. Allegedly, Riley instead began abusing the student as well, then threatened to abuse the student's sister if anything was revealed.
The former student's name is withheld on filing information, with the name "John Doe" used as a placeholder per Florida law.
Bishop Frank Dewane of the Diocese of Venice has acknowledged both the criminal and civil allegations against Riley, but reiterated that Riley has denied the allegations.
The Diocese also released a statement that Riley was placed on administrative leave last year after the civil complaint resurfaced, though Riley was not placed on leave when the initial complaint was filed in 2020.
According to Sarasota County Court records, Riley is currently scheduled to sit for deposition in the civil case on July 25 at the Mallard Perez law office, which represents the John Doe plaintiff.
Damian Mallard, an attorney representing the plaintiff, alleged earlier this year that Riley's attorneys had blocked previous efforts to schedule a deposition.
When asked if there was a conflict with the criminal trial, Mallard said Riley could assert his right not to testify while attending the deposition.
"He’s allowed to take the Fifth Amendment, but he has to sit for the deposition. I’m allowed to ask him the question," he said.
The Daily Sun unsuccessfully attempted to reach attorneys representing Riley in the civil case for comment.
Alan Klispie ultimately left St. Charles Borromeo and was hired as a music teacher by Charlotte County Public Schools.
Representatives for the school district said earlier this year that Klispie was "no longer an employee" of the district, but did not state when he left their employment.
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