HOBBS, NM (KWES) - A lawsuit against Ricardo Bauza, former priest from Hobbs, New Mexico has been dropped.
Bauza has been accused of sexually assaulting a man who attended the church, but the criminal charges against him were dropped.
According to the Hobbs News-Sun, attorneys for the alleged victim dismissed the lawsuit against the former priest at St. Helena Catholic Church but the lawsuit against the Diocese of Las Cruces and the Hobbs church remains.
The lawsuit claims the diocese facilitated sexual battery and assisted Bauza in evading authorities.
Bauza's attorneys told the newspaper, allegations against their client had no credibility and the lawsuit was filed by a troubled and misguided man.
The paper also reports the vice chancellor for the diocese claims Bauza is still a priest but is not assigned in the diocese.
