Judge dismisses Archdiocese of Dubuque from Florida lawsuit involving former local priest

A judge has dismissed the Archdiocese of Dubuque from a Florida lawsuit involving a former Dubuque priest previously charged with sexual abuse. A Charlotte County (Fla.) Judge recently dismissed the archdiocese from a case involving Leo Riley. Riley was previously was charged in Iowa District Court of Dubuque County with five counts of second-degree sexual abuse stemming from allegations related to his time at a Dubuque parish in the 1980s. Court documents state that the judge dismissed the archdiocese due to the Florida court’s lack of jurisdiction over the archdiocese, the expiration of the statute of limitations and a legal doctrine called “forum non conveniens” that allows a court to dismiss a case if another court is deemed more appropriate or convenient to hear the case.