The Rev. Michael Carroll, pastor of St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church in Walnut, is named in a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles filed by a Riverside woman, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported.

The woman said Carroll sexually battered, assaulted, molested and abused her from 1967 to 1971, while he was serving at St. Anselm's Catholic Church in Los Angeles, according to the newspaper.

The woman, now 50, says the abuse began when she was 14.

On Saturday, Carroll was named Citizen of the Year by the Walnut Chamber of Commerce, according to Valley Tribune.

The woman's attorney, R. Richard Farnell of Newport Beach, told the newspaper that the woman reported the alleged abuse to Cardinal Roger Mahony in 1996 and that after being confronted with the allegations, Carroll apologized to the woman.

The lawsuit was filed in December 2003.

However, Carroll, who became pastor at St. Lorenzo in February 2000, has repeatedly denied, under oath, that he had sexual contact with a minor, church officials told the Valley Tribune.

A letter was read during Mass on Saturday at the church, letting the 1,200-member congregation know about the lawsuit and why Carroll was still in the ministry, Archdiocese spokesperson Tod Tamberg told the newspaper.

Tamberg said the allegations against Carroll were reviewed by a panel of 13 members that included 11 lay people, including parents of boys who were abused by priests and abuse survivors, and "there was a firm denial."

"Nevertheless, in 1996 we reached out pastorally to this person and provided her with reimbursement for therapy costs," he said. "That's not (an) admission of guilt, it's the right thing to do pastorally and we would do it again."

He said the only one complaint has been filed against Carroll.