Staffer who accused Hoover, other GOP lawmakers of sexual harassment resigns

The employee who accused former Kentucky House Speaker Jeff Hoover and three other Republican lawmakers of sexual harassment resigned Monday.

A statement from House Republican leadership Monday evening said a staff member resigned that morning. Prior to the statement, the victim’s attorney, Thomas Clay, acknowledged that his client intended to resign Monday.

Clay said he could not comment on why the woman is leaving her job working for the House Republican Caucus but said her departure is voluntary.

“She was not forced out,” he said.

The Herald-Leader does not generally identify alleged victims of sexual harassment.

On Sunday, Clay confirmed that Hoover and others had agreed to a confidential settlement with the staffer following mediation. The woman, Clay said, was concerned about “workplace conduct” involving Hoover and others.

Hoover announced Sunday that he was resigning as speaker but would stay on as a state representative. He acknowledged that he had exchanged “inappropriate text messages” with the woman but denied that he or other lawmakers had sexually harassed her.

The other Republican lawmakers named in a settlement demand letter from the accuser are Rep. Brian Linder of Dry Ridge; Rep. Michael Meredith of Oakland; and Rep. Jim DeCesare of Bowling Green, according to House Republican Communications Director Daisy Olivo, who has seen the letter. The three were temporarily removed from their positions as committee chairmen by the House GOP leadership team Sunday evening, pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

DeCesare, who was a member of Republican leadership before the GOP took control of the House of Representatives last November, chairs the Committee on Economic Development and Workforce Investment; Meredith is chairman of the Committee on Local Government, and Linder co-chairs the Public Pension Oversight Board.

The letter also accused House Republican Chief of Staff Ginger Wills of creating a hostile work environment, according to Olivo.

The Herald-Leader reported Saturday that Olivo said she was “effectively suspended” by leadership staff the day after she reported her concerns about Hoover and Wills to the Legislative Research Commission .

This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Staffer who accused Hoover, other GOP lawmakers of sexual harassment resigns."