A lawsuit has been filed against a California state senator by her former chief of staff, who recently switched parties. The lawsuit alleges sexual harassment, a hostile workplace, and retaliation for rejecting sexual advances.
A lawsuit has been filed in the Sacramento County Superior Court alleging that state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil (R-Jackson) exhibited inappropriate behavior towards her chief of staff, Chad Condit, throughout much of 2023. The lawsuit claims that this behavior involved erratic, controlling, and sexually dominating abuse of authority and power.
The lawsuit alleges a relationship characterized by unwelcome advances, sexual behaviors, and abuse of power, with the California state Senate also named as a defendant.
The lawyer representing Alvarado-Gil refuted the allegations.
“A disgruntled former employee has fabricated an outlandish story, presented without evidence, to get a payday. We expect that the Senator will be fully cleared of any wrongdoing of these bogus, financially motivated claims,” attorney Ognian Gavrilov said in a statement provided to The Times by the Senate Republican Caucus.
Alvarado-Gil emerged victorious in the 2022 election, representing the Democratic party in a district known for its strong conservative leanings. The district encompasses a rural area northeast of the Central Valley. Many viewed her election as a result of California’s top-two primary system, where the crowded field of Republicans split the GOP vote in June.
Alvarado-Gil made a political party switch in August, opting to join the Republican caucus in the state Senate. This decision came after expressing criticism towards Democratic leadership.
Condit served as Alvarado-Gil’s campaign manager in 2022, and later became her chief of staff in the state office.
According to the lawsuit, Alvarado-Gil is accused of developing a close relationship with the plaintiff and divulging personal and intimate information about her dating life, divorces, and marital infidelity. According to the complaint, Alvarado-Gil was quite candid about her personal indulgences, which encompassed various aspects such as engaging in sexual activities, consuming the drug ayahuasca, and enjoying gummies.
The complaint alleges that Alvarado-Gil frequently made inappropriate and sexually suggestive remarks towards Condit, while also leveraging her authority to assert control and influence over him. In March 2023, Alvarado-Gil reportedly inquired with Condit about his thoughts on “throuples” and whether he and his wife would consider being in one.
She also made comments that hinted at a potential sexual relationship with him, possibly due to his father’s infamous affair with Washington intern Chandra Levy. In 2001, Levy was tragically murdered, leading to an investigation involving the elder Condit. This scandal captivated the nation during the months leading up to the 9/11 attacks. He was never officially considered a suspect, and another individual was eventually found guilty of her murder in a case that was subsequently dropped. The mystery surrounding her death remains unresolved.
The complaint alleges that the comments of a sexual nature escalated into physical actions.
During a work trip to Inyo County, Chad Condit claimed that Alvarado-Gil made a demand that he found inappropriate. Condit and Alvarado-Gil were driving when, as stated in the lawsuit, they decided to pull over and use the restroom. After Condit returned to the car, she had her pants pulled down and asked for a kiss to prove loyalty.
“After months of creating a dominant-submissive relationship, plaintiff was numbed and acted without thinking and it went from there with Alvarado-Gil establishing her ability to dominate him,” the lawsuit states.
The complaint states that Condit engaged in the sexual act on multiple occasions.
“During the last occasion where plaintiff performed oral sex as demanded by Alvarado-Gil, Plaintiff suffered a back injury while performing in a car seat with his body having to twist and contort in the confined space of the car,” according to the lawsuit. “Plaintiff later went to the doctor and discovered that the injury was more severe, and that plaintiff had suffered three herniated discs in his back and a collapsed hip.”
Condit eventually had to undergo hip surgery to address his injuries.
The lawsuit claims that Alvarado-Gil made efforts to establish a closer relationship with Condit’s wife and exert influence over the couple’s life. These efforts allegedly included hiring Condit’s wife for her campaign in March 2023 and frequenting the same beautician. In the following months, Condit reportedly began to reject Alvarado-Gil’s advances. At one point, the senator visited his house and deceitfully informed his wife that the plaintiff was involved with someone else, intentionally causing him distress.
In December, according to the lawsuit, Alvardo-Gil allegedly informed Condit via text message that he had lost his job. It is further claimed that she attempted to persuade him to resign instead by proposing to hire his wife.
The lawsuit also alleges that Secretary of the Senate Erika Contreras “blindly accepted Alvarado-Gil’s retaliatory actions against plaintiff and ratified her abuse of him.”
Source: Los Angeles Times in Yahoo News
