PORTLAND, Maine – The founder of an orphanage in Haiti who's accused by a Maine activist of molesting boys says he "never sexually abused children anywhere."
Michael Geilenfeld testified Monday in his defamation lawsuit against Paul Kendrick, who leveled the accusations in 2011 and hasn't backed down.
The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/1fFglqc) reports that Geilenfeld told jurors that Kendrick sent email "blitzes" starting Jan. 31, 2011, to more than 500 recipients.
Geilenfeld testified that he's gay and that his sexual orientation led to past accusations of child abuse in an island nation that he described as "very homophobic." He says those allegations were quickly dispelled.
U.S. District Judge John Woodcock says jurors will likely be asked to focus on two issues: whether Kendrick's allegations were false and whether the accusations were made negligently.
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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com
