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	before Suing Priest, Parishoner Sued a Too-handy Man By Sarah Armaghan and Tina Moor New York Daily News November 1, 2008 http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/10/31/2008-10-31_before_suing_priest_parishoner_sued_a_to.html A Queens woman who accused a chaplain of coercing her into a "God-ordained" love affair sued her building's super for sexual harassment six months ago, court records show. Former paralegal Judith Rodrigues-Lytwyn, 50, charged in an April lawsuit that her Elmhurst building's handyman offered to fix her unit in exchange for sex. She charges Fernando Batista also tried to touch her and physically forced her to touch him repeatedly between 2000 and 2007. Two other women - one of them transgendered - made similar accusations in the suit. RELATED: PRIEST SUSPENDED AFTER PARISHONER SUES The state attorney general's office investigated building owner Nicholas Haros and Batista in 2007 and sided with the women, slamming the company for failing to investigate the complaints or take corrective action. This week, Rodrigues-Lytwyn accused the Rev. Elvis Elano, 44, of coming onto her like a hunk o' burning love after she confessed she divorced her husband because he was abusive. For months, they rendezvoused at her Brooklyn apartment, which is also where the vicar had his Viagra pills mailed, the suit states. She is suing Elano - who bedded her after saying their affair had been "ordained by God" - and the Diocese of Brooklyn for $25 million.At the building, neighbors were skeptical of the accuser. A 55-year-old neighbor of Rodrigues-Lytwyn said she "is known to make up a lot of stories." The woman, who declined to provide her name, said the two had been friends for 14 years. She said Rodrigues-Lytwyn spent a night in jail some 10 years ago after she was accused of abusing her daughter Crystal. As a result, the mother and daughter have not had contact for eight years and Rodrigues-Lytwyn has not been permitted to see her two grandchildren, the neighbor said. Elano, who lost his post at a Catholic hospital, was kicked out of the parish yesterday, said Joseph Zwilling, spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York. Zwilling said Elano also is not allowed to "function as a priest in the archdiocese." Elano, who had been bunking at St. Joseph's Parish in upstate Kingston, could not be reached for comment. Neither could Rodrigues-Lytwyn. Contact: tmoore@nydailynews.com
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