A 71-year-old clinical psychologist who specializes in treating children and teens who are dying or are chronically ill pleaded not guilty today in Kona Circuit Court to charges he sexually assaulted a minor.
Third Circuit Chief Judge Robert Kim ordered Reuben Lelah of Kailua-Kona to appear for a jury trial Nov. 21.
A Kona grand jury returned a four-count indictment Wednesday, charging Lelah with two counts each of first- and third-degree sexual assault.
Lelah is free on $40,000 bail.
According to the indictment, the alleged offenses occurred between June 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2019, in Kona. The victim — who was born in 2005 and identified only by initials — was at least 14 years old but less than 16 years old.
The allegations are that Lelah engaged in both sexual penetration and sexual contact with the minor.
First-degree sexual assault is a Class C felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment. Third-degree sexual assault is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
A civil lawsuit also was filed Wednesday in Kona Circuit Court by Kona attorney Jeffrey Foster on behalf of a John Doe.
The suit names Lelah and the nonprofit Loving Service Foundation — of which Lelah is president, treasurer and a director, according to the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs — as defendants.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was a minor and under the care and custody of Lelah from June 2019 to January 2020 and “received certain psychology treatment and counseling services from Lelah through LSF.”
The suit, which claims Lelah engaged in “sexual assault and battery,” seeks unspecified monetary damages, court costs and attorneys’ fees.
The suit alleges Lelah “used his position of authority, trust and control as a psychologist to engage in the unpermitted, harmful and offensive sexual contact upon plaintiff when plaintiff was a minor.”
The litigation also asserts that “upon information and belief” Loving Service Foundation and Lelah “worked on minor children and adolescents, and targeted the most vulnerable children who sought help for emotional and and psychological issues.”
According to the complaint, Lelah “utilized information learned through therapy sessions with plaintiff to convince plaintiff’s parents to allow plaintiff to live at the residence with Lelah.”
The suit also alleges that Loving Service Foundation “knew or should have known that Lelah was unfit to work with children” and “knew or should have known that Lelah was a danger to children.”
According to the Loving Service Foundation’s website, its mission is “to provide psychological treatment to seriously ill children and adolescents using traditional and multi-disciplinary treatments.”
“We specialize in treating children and teens who are dying or who have chronic illness,” the website states.
Foster declined to comment when reached today by the Tribune-Herald, including whether the victim in the indictment and the plaintiff in the civil suit are the same individual.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
