BIDDEFORD — A retired Biddeford police officer and his wife have filed a civil lawsuit against Mainely Media, LLC, the company that owns the Biddeford-Saco-Old Orchard Beach Courier, as well as two of the newspaper’s employees, alleging they published a series of defamatory articles.

Attorney Gene Libby, who represents former Biddeford Police Captain Norman Gaudette, made the announcement in a letter sent to the Journal Tribune this morning.

“The reporters and Mainely Media, LLC have attempted to shape and spin a story that has wrought havoc on the Gaudette family,” wrote Libby.

The Maine Attorney General’s Office investigated Gaudette for charges of sexual misconduct in the early 1990s, according to a previously published Journal Tribune article. But Libby, who also represented Gaudette during that time, has said that a York County grand jury failed to indict Gaudette on the charges because of a lack of evidence against him.

In recent months, prompted by allegations of sexual abuse against a different former Biddeford police officer, at least three people have come forward alleging abuse at the hands of Gaudette, and these allegations have been reported extensively in the Courier.

When asked about the lawsuit this morning, David Clark, general manager for Mainely Media, said it was the first he had heard of the lawsuit and therefore did not have a comment about it at this time.

Disclaimer: The Journal Tribune and the Biddeford-Saco-Old Orchard Beach Courier are owned by the same parent company, but the newspapers are separate entities, each with their own editorial staff, and do not share information.