Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Deliberations Begin in Trial of Psychologist

After hearing closing arguments Monday, the Superior Court jury in the case of an Antelope Valley psychologist accused of raping a female patient will begin deliberations today.

The heated arguments capped a two-week trial for Dr. Charles Catanese, 42, who faces charges of rape, sexual battery and attempted oral copulation from an alleged attack on a county Probation Department employee on Jan. 2, 1992.

The 38-year-old woman was referred to Catanese when she filed a stress disability claim after allegedly being sexually harassed on the job. During the trial, she testified that Catanese raped her after he lured her to his remote Lancaster home on the promise of receiving “unconventional therapy” based in Christian Scriptures and homeopathic medicine.

Both the prosecution and the defense contended that the other side presented key testimony from liars. Defense attorney Russell Iungerich even asked the jury to recommend that the alleged victim be tried on perjury charges.

Iungerich said the woman was a professional litigant who went shopping after the alleged attack and then waited six months to notify authorities.

According to Iungerich, the woman’s attitude was, “let’s just throw all the garbage we can at Dr. Catanese, and maybe we’ll convict him so we can get the big bucks in our civil lawsuit.

“She’s a skilled liar,” Iungerich concluded.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Foltz referred to Catanese as “a very troubled man,” and told the jury that “everything he said, basically, has been a fabrication.”

Catanese denies seeing the woman on the day of the alleged assault.