Sexual harassment allegation that derailed Democrat's congressional campaign results in defamation settlement
A sexual harassment allegation in the 11th hour of a congressional campaign that derailed a Virginia Democrat has resulted in two settlements from defendants in a defamation lawsuit he filed...
By Fox News · Fox News
A sexual harassment allegation in the 11th hour of a congressional campaign that derailed a Virginia Democrat has resulted in two settlements from defendants in a defamation lawsuit he filed after the campaign ended. "The matter was settled to the satisfaction of the Parties, and the terms are confidential," Virginia House of Delegates member Dan Helmer said in a press release in late October. The press release stated Helmer reached a settlement with two of the three defendants he sued for defamation: Avram Fechter and attorney Charles King. The statement described these settlements as "an important step in finally closing the dark chapter for Delegate Helmer" and said his defamation case against the woman who he claims made the allegations, the third defendant Lissa Savaglio, is still open. Two weeks before the Democratic primary for Virginia's 10th Congressional District last June, Helmer was leading in several polls and looked to be the frontrunner heading into the general election in the Democrat-heavy district. VA DEMS REJECT RESOLUTION CONDEMNING POLITICAL VIOLENCE WHILE HOUSE SPEAKER CUTS OFF JAY JONES REFERENCES But, just a week before the election, that changed after a media report revealed that members of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee were accusing Helmer of sexual harassment. Days later, King, an attorney for the alleged victim, released the following statement. "After a political event in 2018, Mr. Helmer groped my client’s breast," King wrote. "In later conversations with others, Helmer sexually described the woman’s physique and talked about different sexual positions he wanted to try with her and other women." Helmer denied the claims, but ultimately lost his race for Congress by four percentage points to Democrat Suhas Subramanyam. After the election, Helmer filed a defamation lawsuit in Fairfax County Circuit Court against King, Fechter and Savaglio. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER SEALS HISTORIC VIRGINIA WIN, ENDING GOP’S GLENN YOUNGKIN ERA In Helmer…