KY ethics commission will investigate a new complaint against Rep. Daniel Grossberg
The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward in investigating a second complaint filed against Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville, combining it with a previous complaint against him.
Grossberg has been the subject of scrutiny in the media and by the ethics commission for various issues, most notably involving his interactions with women. The Louisville lawmaker was on the receiving end of party-wide calls for his resignation, including from Gov. Andy Beshear, following Herald-Leader reporting on his alleged sexually inappropriate behavior with women.
The origin of the second complaint and its exact contents are unclear as of yet. However, Grossberg himself told the Herald-Leader that the second complaint does not contain new allegations against him. He said the complainant was one of the women that alleged Grossberg’s messages to her amounted to harassment in a story.
Accounts from those three women were featured anonymously in a Herald-Leader story published Aug. 2024. All three, women active in state Democratic politics, have since gone public.
The commission, in its decision to move forward with investigating the complaint (24-LEC-06) combined it with the complaint against Grossberg (24-LEC-03) that got the go-ahead for further investigation last September.
The two complaints filed to the commission in between — 24-LEC-04, which was about former representative Cherlynn Stevenson and 24-LEC-05, which could be about any legislative matter — have been dismissed.
Grossberg’s attorney, Anna Whites offered a brief comment.
“No comment on the second complaint other than we have trust in the ethics process and look forward to the completion of the review,” Whites wrote to the Herald-Leader in a text message.
Grossberg has denied serious wrongdoing and violating ethics rules, but has previously said he’s seeking treatment for “impulsive behavior.”
Herald-Leader reporting on Grossberg last year included an instance of alleged sexual harassment in Grossberg’s office, as well as an incident where he inappropriately touched a dancer at a Louisville strip club, earning him a lifetime ban from the business.
In the wake of that reporting, the majority of elected Democrats in the state, as well as the state party called on him to resign. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge, both state legislative caucuses and his own county party all asked him to step down.
In response, Grossberg has continued his work as a legislator and said he intends to run again in 2026, though he attracted an early primary challenge.
Though stripped of his committee assignments over the interim, Grossberg was granted three such assignments for this year’s legislative session. The move, carried out by Republican House leadership, frustrated many of the people and organizations that had earlier called on him to resign.
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 3:59 PM.
