A former staffer for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) has filed a lawsuit alleging that the congresswoman fired her due to her intent to bring a sexual assault allegation against a former employee of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
Jackson Lee’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to a Wednesday Buzzfeed News report, the former staffer (anonymous in the filing) says that she was raped in October 2015 when she was an intern for the CBCF by Damien Jones, then the intern coordinator.
“Jane Doe,” as she’s called in the lawsuit, reported the alleged assault to the police, but did not press charges at the time. She also told officials at CBCF who said that Jones would be placed on leave — he does seem to have left the foundation at that time.
Three years later, when Jane Doe went to work for Jackson Lee’s office, she found out that Jones also was being considered for hiring. At that point, the she decided to go forward with legal action against him, and the matter was brought to Jackson Lee’s attention.
Jackson Lee reportedly cancelled a scheduled meeting with Jane Doe and soon after fired her for “budget” reasons.
Jane Doe’s lawsuit names both Jackson Lee and the CBCF.
