Four women sued Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill on Tuesday for allegedly drunkenly groping them at a party last year.
The women named in the lawsuit are legislative staffers Niki DaSilva, Samantha Lozano, Gabrielle McLemore, and Democrat state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon.
According to a memo written at the request of state lawmakers, Hill was “very intoxicated” and put his hands under the clothes of two women, grabbing their buttocks. When asked to “back off,” Hill continued to touch them inappropriately, they claimed. He reportedly touched and hugged two other women inappropriately and told them they needed to “show a little skin” to get served faster.
“You cannot go through something as traumatic as this and not have it affect your life,” Reardon said. “It changes the way you view the world. It changes the way you do your job.”
In a Tuesday press release, the women said they complied “with the existing reporting procedures and systems in place to address sexual harassment.” However, they say these guidelines do not “adequately protect” state employees.
“We want to be agents of change for the pervasive culture of sexual misconduct that plagues the walls of government and other workplaces all across Indiana,” Lozano said in a statement. “All Hoosier workers, including state employees and our elected officials, deserve to feel safe in their work environment and protected from wrong doers.”
The lawsuit comes after special prosecutor Daniel Sigler declined to bring charges against Hill in October 2018. Sigler could not find sufficient evidence to move forward with the case.
Hill denied the allegations last year.
“At no time was my behavior inappropriate nor did I touch anyone in an inappropriate manner,” Hill told the Indianapolis Star. “The atmosphere was light and jovial, as would be expected in a bar. I interacted with several people — talking, laughing, and telling stories.”
House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate Majority Leader David Long called for Hill’s resignation when the allegations first surfaced in July 2018. So far, Hill has refused to resign.
