Matt Schlapp, chairman of the influential Conservative Political Action Conference, is being sued by a former campaign worker for Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker. Labor campaigners claim Schlapp groped people without permission.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday the Virginia Circuit Court in Alexandria accuses Schlapp of “aggressively fondling” the unnamed man’s “genital area in a sustained fashion” when the two were alone in the car on October 19. This man is seeking $9.4 million in damages, according to Politico.
The staffer had accepted a drink invitation from Schlapp as a networking opportunity, according to NBC News, and was driving him back to the hotel when he said the CPAC head honcho put his hand on the staffer’s leg and “began to aggressively fondling Mr. Doe’s area in a continuous manner.” according to the lawsuit.
The staff “froze in fear and panic,” according to the lawsuit, but reportedly declined Schlapp’s invitation to the room.
Within a few hours of the incident, the staffer recorded a video that recounted the incident and showed it to Walker campaign officials, who asked him to contact his lawyer and said he should not drive Schlapp anymore, NBC News reported.
Schlapp contacted an assistant the next day about a ride from the hotel. He responded that he was “not happy with what happened yesterday,” and said that other drivers would work on Schlapp, according to a picture shared with NBC News.
Schlapp texted back, “Pls call me,” before repeatedly calling staff and later sending another text that read, “If you can see it in your heart call me at the end of the day. I will appreciate it.
NBC News confirmed that the phone number the text was sent to belonged to Schlapp.
Schlapp denied the allegations in a statement from his attorney, which he posted on Twitter after the lawsuit was filed. He claims his family has “suffered unbearable pain and stress” over the claims and is considering a countersuit.