A Bath woman is suing an apartment management company and maintenance worker, alleging that he sexually assaulted her last year after fixing a smoke detector.

The civil lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland, alleges that a maintenance worker entered a tenant’s home at Huse School Apartments last June to fix a chirping smoke detector and repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

The lawsuit alleges that the worker told the woman not to tell anyone about what took place, before leaving her apartment.

The woman reported what happened to Saco Falls Management, which owns the apartment building, and Bath police the following morning, the lawsuit alleges.

Bath police Chief Andrew Booth confirmed Wednesday that someone reported an “incident” at the apartment complex in the timeframe in question, and that the department investigated. Booth declined to share whether the department made an arrest or any further information about the investigation.

Kristin Martin, Saco Falls Management president, declined to comment on the allegations or say whether the worker was still employed at the company. He was still listed on the company’s website as a maintenance technician as of Wednesday.

The Times Record was unable to reach the maintenance worker for an interview.

After the alleged assault, the complaint states, the woman experienced emotional distress and was unable to sleep, eat or go to work, resulting in her being fired from her job.

Before the incident, the lawsuit states, Saco Falls had agreed to stall a pending eviction against the woman for nonpayment. Her attorneys argue the management company moved forward with the eviction two days after she reported the sexual assault even though she was complying with the agreement.

The lawsuit focuses on the management company and the worker for the alleged assault and battery and for violating the federal Fair Housing Act. It also argues Saco Falls Management was negligent in hiring the worker and failing to prevent the incident.

One of the woman’s attorneys said Wednesday that they plan to take the case to trial.

“We’re very proud of (the plaintiff),” said Tom Kayes, an attorney from Chicago working on the case. “It’s very difficult for anyone to come forward with this allegation.”

Huse School Apartments on Andrews Road is located inside the former John E.L. Huse Memorial School. The Szanton Co. redeveloped the building into housing in 2017, according to Maine Housing. Saco Falls Management manages all of Szanton’s redevelopment projects.

IF YOU or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, you can call the statewide Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Line at 1-800-871-7741 for free and confidential help 24 hours a day.

TO LEARN more about sexual violence prevention and response in Maine, visit the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault website at mecasa.org.

FOR MORE information about mental health services in Maine, visit the website for the state’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.