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A state legislator appears in court after allegedly assaulting his wife and claims the incident was a misunderstanding

A state legislator appears in court after allegedly assaulting his wife and claims the incident was a misunderstanding

BIDDEFORD, Maine (WMTW) – Maine Rep. Lucas Lanigan made his first court appearance Wednesday on charges he assaulted his wife during a domestic dispute last week.

Bail was set at $3,000 in Biddeford District Court, where Lanigan appeared via Zoom.

Lanigan, charged with domestic violence assault, turned himself in to police Monday after an arrest warrant was issued.

The alleged incident involved a fight during which, according to the initial police report, Lanigan’s wife alleged that he choked her.

In court, both Lanigan’s lawyer and his wife argued that the incident was a misunderstanding.

Lanigan’s wife said she had been drinking when she confronted him about what she described as an affair. She explained that she had threatened self-harm and that Lanigan had intervened to protect her. “He had to forcibly take my tools away so I wouldn’t hurt myself. I got a few bruises in the fight; it was not an assault, your honor,” she told the judge.

But prosecutors noted that victims in domestic violence cases often cross-reference their testimony by referring to the initial testimony given by Lanigan’s wife.

The judge ordered Lanigan to have no contact with his wife pending further proceedings.

Lanigan, who is running for re-election in Maine’s 141st District, has not announced his intention to resign despite growing calls for him to step down. He is expected to return to the field in March.