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Rep. Lucas Lanigan, a Sanford Republican, has received a court-appointed lawyer after awaiting one for months in his domestic violence case.
Sanford police arrested Lanigan in October 2024 after he allegedly choked his wife when she confronted him and another woman at a self-storage unit facility about an affair. Lanigan, 46, pleaded not guilty to a Class B felony for aggravated domestic violence assault that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a less-severe misdemeanor for domestic violence assault. His wife said at an initial court appearance that the assault did not occur, but prosecutors moved ahead with the case before a grand jury indicted Lanigan in March.
The arrest came shortly before last year’s general election that ended with Lanigan winning reelection to a second term by a single vote. He represented himself in court for months and filed motions to suppress evidence before seeking in August court-appointed counsel to help him with what he acknowledged was a difficult case to handle alone.
Chris Nielsen has now been appointed to represent Lanigan, according to court filings. Nielsen told a reporter he received Lanigan’s case Thursday and needs time to get up to speed on it. Jury selection in the case was initially scheduled to begin in late October, but the case has been delayed while Lanigan awaited a court-appointed lawyer amid Maine’s long-running issues with finding enough public defenders and funds to help clients who can’t afford representation.
Lanigan said Thursday he was not aware Nielsen is representing him until a reporter told him. He called it “welcoming news.” Discussions on evidence-related motions from Lanigan and prosecutor Paul Cavanaugh have not been able to proceed while Lanigan awaited court-appointed counsel.
A York County judge kept Lanigan’s $3,000 bail in place while he awaited counsel, with the conditions allowing Lanigan to be released while the case proceeds as long as he has no contact with his wife. Lanigan has said he is hoping to return to his family after living away from his wife and kids in the Sanford area for almost a year.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled prosecutor Paul Cavanaugh’s last name.