Alleged molester settles civil case: Husband of former Belmont councilwoman accused of molesting niece

A full dismissal hearing is set for July 25, 2017.

The terms of the settlement are confidential, the plaintiff’s attorney Michael Sganga told the Daily Journal.

The two parties agreed to terms but the final paperwork has not been signed, Sganga said.

Wright, however, is due back in criminal court April 4 facing felony charges of committing a lewd act upon a minor and continuous sexual molestation of a child under the age of 14.

He allegedly threatened to hurt her family if she ever told anyone what happened, according to the civil complaint.

The criminal case is more important to the victim, Sganga said about his client.

“She is less concerned about how much money” is involved than she is about seeking justice, her lawyer said.

He suspects Wright may be pursuing a plea deal in the criminal case since his defense has yet to interview any witnesses, Sganga said.

The civil complaint was filed nearly four months before Wright, 47, was arrested Aug. 7, 2015, at his work in Orinda. He is the husband of former Belmont councilwoman Cathy Wright.

He allegedly molested the girl 15 to 20 times starting in 1995 until 1999 when she was 10 years old. The victim is now 26 years old and a college graduate.

The abuse would follow a similar pattern each time where Wright would find “one excuse or another” to be alone with the victim, according to the civil complaint.

“Sometimes the excuse was to play with new toys, other times it was that he wanted to simply show her something,” according to the complaint.

Once they were alone, Wright would have the victim lie down on a bed or couch and would silently remove her clothes. He would then proceed to fondle her genitals and digitally penetrate her, according to the complaint.

The alleged molestation happened in San Francisco at the grandparents’ house and then in Belmont, where Wright resided with his wife and three children.

Wright would sometimes ask the victim to touch herself. When she refused, he would grab her hand and make her do it, according to the complaint.

Wright never spoke during the alleged molestations and never exposed himself or made her touch him, according to the complaint.

Wright would molest the girl for 10 to 15 minutes until he thought that she had an orgasm. He would quickly ask the victim if she was “done” and quickly help her get dressed, according to the complaint.

The victim did not tell her parents until 2014.

She believed that Wright “meant he would kill her family or otherwise find some way to separate her from her family,” according to the complaint.

Braid Pezzaglia, Wright’s attorney, confirmed Thursday that the civil case is settled. Attorney Mike Armstrong is handling the criminal case, Pezzaglia said.

The lawsuit alleges the victim suffered abuse, threats, mental trauma, fractured relationships, troubles with school and work, embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, disgrace, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life and general depression and anxiety.

The victim’s parents are also plaintiffs in the complaint.

They approached Belmont police last summer who then turned the investigation over to the District Attorney’s Office.

The victim only sought a civil remedy because the criminal charges had not been filed by the time the civil statute of limitations was about to run out, Sganga said.

If Wright pleads no contest to the multiple felony charges he faces by Feb. 29, “he will be sentenced to no more than 12 years in prison and no less than six years in prison,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti wrote in a email.

Wright’s wife Cathy was appointed to former councilwoman Christine Wozniak’s seat in 2014 and decided against running for re-election in November 2015. Before that, she served eight years on the Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District Board of Trustees before stepping down in 2011.

bill@smdailyjournal.com

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