State Rep. Jeremy Durham on Friday filed a lawsuit in which he claims the investigation violates the Tennessee Constitution and his right to due process.
Advertisement
In a last ditch effort to prevent the release of an attorney general’s investigation into Rep.
Durham, now 32, is running for re-election.
Attorney General Herbert Slatery said there were 78 interviews conducted for the report, 22 of which were women.
“While the conduct in this report justifies expulsion”, Attorney Doug Himes said. She says lawmakers have known since at least previous year that Durham was engaging in inappropriate behavior but have let the investigation, which began in February, drag on for months. The woman said there was no mention of Durham’s wife at that time.
The report made public does not include names of the complainants nor other attachments that may indicate the specific content of complaints or investigative interviews.
The lawsuit says no formal sexual harassment complaint has been filed against Durham. In a news conference later Tuesday afternoon, House Speaker Beth Harwell called Durham’s acts “repulsive and unacceptable”, but said they were not representative of all members of the House.
“I think it would be very hard to get members back for a special session. simply because I do not think we could get them back for a special session”, McDaniel said.
Harwell announced the following week on February 4 the creation of a special Ad Hoc committee to lead the investigation.
An investigation of a Tennessee state legislator has found he took advantage of his position to sexually harass at least 22 women. Committee Chairman Rep. Steve McDaniel said the group opted against trying to convene a special session of the legislature to oust Durham.
Durham did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The report is the latest and most significant development in a series of events that began after a Tennessean investigation prompted swift action by legislative leaders, including initiating a probe into Durham.
Incidents like those above are listed throughout the Attorney General report.
Durham is being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct after three female legislative staff members told the Tennessean that he had sent them inappropriate text messages. But a judge ruled Tuesday that the report could be released.
But Durham is asking Davidson County Chancery Court to block release of the report, saying that it will negatively impact his reelection campaign.
In an email sent to his legislative colleagues shortly after noon, Rep.
“Therefore, if the Ad Hoc Select Committee and Speaker Harwell decide to release this information publicly, they will be in violation of the House approved Article II, Section 12 Tennessee General Assembly Sexual Harassment Policy”, he concluded.
Advertisement
Although the recommendations to changes of the sexual harassment policy were made months ago, the policy Womick references is still now in effect, said Kara Owen, a spokeswoman for the speaker.
