Chamber News Feed: Morris County, NJ: (MORRISTOWN, NJ) A priest is suing a former colleague at a Florham Park retreat, accusing him of thefts and of making a false criminal allegation. In a lawsuit made public Wednesday in Superior Court in Morristown, the Rev. Frank Hreno accused the Rev. Emeka Okwuosa of spitting in his face; pinning him against the wall; taking Hrenos checkbook and writing checks to himself; damaging cars Hreno was authorized to use; taking Hrenos van without authorization and using Hrenos credit card without authorization. Hreno said criminal allegations made by Okwuosa were false, but nonetheless caused him to lose his work as a priest. Hreno, 51, of Hanover, was arrested last April on a charge of threatening to kill Okwuosa in a dispute over a car. Florham Park Police say Hreno attacked Okwuosa with a four-foot crucifix that he swung through a glass door. Both priests were based at the Vocationist Fathers Retreat & Conference Center in Florham Park. The criminal case was resolved earlier this month when Hreno was placed in the Pretrial Intervention program, a form of probation that allows charges to be dismissed without a guilty finding. The charge is to be dismissed in a year if Hreno successfully completes the program. Peter Gilbreth, Hrenos attorney in the criminal case, said he expects to seek to expunge the charge six months after Hreno finishes his PTI. The civil lawsuit, filed by attorney Gerald Resnick, named Okwuosa and the Vocationist Fathers as defendants. Officials at the Vocationist Fathers Center and Okwuosa did not return a phone call seeking comment on Wednesday. As a result of the false allegations, the Diocese of Paterson revoked Hrenos priestly faculties, which prevents him from celebrating Mass publicly and administering the sacraments anywhere in the world, effectively depriving him of his livelihood, according to the suit. Hreno, who took an Evangelical Vow of Poverty, has also sustained losses of his entitlements as a member of the Vocationist Fathers, including food, shelter, clothing, medical treatment, auto transportation and education privileges, the suit says. The suit seeks compensation for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and alleged negligent supervision by the Vocationist Fathers. Hreno wants to be vindicated from the false statements made by Father Okwuosa, which have mercilessly pilloried his reputation, Resnick said. He has now been labeled a criminal, the antithesis of the vows he took as a priest. He has to find another way to survive and live out his life, the attorney added. Your Bernards Township Regional Chamber of Commerce Works for You!
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 11:10:00 +0000
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