Maui inmate sues over
forced sexual contact

The woman alleges the former
warden called her to his office
and assaulted her

WAILUKU » A woman has filed a lawsuit seeking monetary damages for being forced to have sexual contact with a warden while incarcerated at Maui Community Correctional Center.

The woman, who filed the lawsuit as "Jane Doe" to avoid adverse publicity, alleges that on several occasions, then-Warden Albert Murashige called her into his office and "subjected her to sexual contact against her will."

Murashige, 47, was sentenced last June to serve a year in prison after pleading no contest to two counts of second-degree attempted sexual assault and one count each of second- and third-degree sexual assault in the 2003 incidents involving the woman.

He is scheduled to be released from a federal detention center in Honolulu on June 17 and is expected to be placed on five years' probation.

The woman, then 44, was serving time for felony drug convictions. She is scheduled to be released from a work furlough center on Oahu and placed on parole, also on June 17.

The lawsuit, filed Friday against the state correctional center and Murashige, said that on May 1, 2003, she was informed the warden wanted to see her.

When she was in his office, Murashige allegedly sat down next to her, and when she attempted to leave, he grabbed her and forcibly subjected her to sexual contact against her will, the lawsuit said.

The woman made numerous demands for him to stop, and Murashige blocked her access to the door, it said.

The woman alleges she pushed Murashige away, then opened the door and returned to her cell.

When called to his office three days later, Murashige apologized but again resumed forcing her to have sexual contact, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said there were similar incidents on May 8 and 13, and that the woman has suffered "extreme emotional distress."

The inmate wrote a letter to then-state Rep. Kika Bukoski (R, Pukalani-Ulupalakua) about the alleged incidents. The state Department of the Attorney General immediately began investigating after Bukoski turned in the letter.

Murashige was arrested after investigators corroborated the accusations, the attorney general's office said.