MACHIAS, Maine — A Washington County woman testified against Cherryfield businessman Steven Pagels on Monday in the opening day of the trial in her civil lawsuit against him.
The woman, who is not being identified by the Bangor Daily News because she may be a victim of sexual assault, testified about suffering sexual abuse at Pagels’ hands for years, beginning as a young girl. She is in her late 20s.
The non-jury trial before Judge Donald Alexander in Washington County Superior Court is scheduled to resume Tuesday.
Pagels has denied the allegations, according to court filings. He has not been charged with any crimes.
The civil suit, filed in 2012, claims the plaintiff was sexually molested and assaulted by Pagels for a period of about nine years when she was a child. The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages for his “willful, wanton and malicious” actions against the plaintiff, plus interest and legal costs.
A different judge previously allowed liens to be placed on Pagels’ property to prevent him from selling or concealing assets before the case could be resolved. In his order, Calais District Court Judge John Romei noted it is “more likely than not, that in this action the plaintiff will recover judgment,” including interest and costs, of no less than $5 million.
Pagels operates Downeast Windjammer Cruises and affiliated businesses. They provide cruises, excursions, fishing trips and charter and ferry service on a number of vessels sailing or steaming from Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor and Eastport.
Another witness for the plaintiff also testified Monday, describing how she had been sexually assaulted by Pagels in New York some 40 years ago when she was 16 and he was 20. He assaulted her in six separate incidents over a period of six to eight months, she said.
The plaintiff, wearing slacks and a long-sleeved sweater with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, testified evenly and calmly for the most part, though she broke into tears when she described finally confiding in an adult when she was a teenager.
She was first molested by Pagels when she was 7 or 8, she testified. The abuse escalated until he eventually would tie her down and rape her, she testified.
She has been treated by a series of counselors for various problems, she said, including sleeplessness and recurring nightmares. She also has mutilated herself by cutting and burning and displayed scars on her wrists and forearms to Judge Alexander. She also has abused drugs and at one point was addicted to crack cocaine.
The plaintiff admitted being in the justice system for drug violations and at least one incident of criminal mischief.
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Daniel Pileggi of Ellsworth, the plaintiff admitted a handwritten statement she gave to authorities in 2001 at age 15 described two incidents of giving Pagels back rubs but did not refer to sexual abuse. In ensuing years, she also did not report any abuse or sexual assaults to medical or mental health professionals, she acknowledged. During the years she alleged she was molested, the plaintiff admitted to the defense attorney that she did not exhibit any physical signs of being tied up, such as cuts or abrasions, nor was she ever treated for any injuries related to sexual abuse. She also admitted to being addicted to drugs in the past and exaggerating about physical injuries in order to obtain pain medication.
On Monday afternoon, Katherine Rice, a licensed clinical professional counselor, testified about her diagnosis and treatment of the plaintiff, who has been her patient since February 2012. Her initial diagnosis included post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems. The underlying case of her patient’s post-traumatic stress disorder, she testified, is “her childhood abuse, especially her sexual abuse.” Her patient still is in therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The woman’s history of sexual abuse has impaired her ability to parent effectively, to choose healthy male partners and to function in other ways, Rice testified.
Pagels, dressed in khaki pants and a blue blazer over a white shirt and tie, showed no emotion and sat quietly during the proceedings.
Rice is expected to be cross-examined when the trial restarts Tuesday.