Ex-Sheila Jackson Lee staffer says she was fired in retaliation for planned sex assault suit

FILE - Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee speaks at the Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ on Nov. 5, 2018 in Houston, Texas. Jackson is reportedly stepping down from a Houston subcomittee after a lawsuit alleges she fired an aide for reporting a sexual assault. less FILE - Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee speaks at the Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ on Nov. 5, 2018 in Houston, Texas. Jackson is reportedly stepping down from a Houston subcomittee after a ... more Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Ex-Sheila Jackson Lee staffer says she was fired in retaliation for planned sex assault suit 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

A former staff member has sued U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's office, alleging she was wrongfully fired because of legal action she planned to pursue against the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which Jackson Lee chaired.

The ex-staffer, identified as Jane Doe in the suit, alleges that a 30-year-old foundation supervisor sexually assaulted her in 2015. The plaintiff, an Alabama native, says she was a 19-year-old student at Howard University at the time, determined to make a career for herself in government relations or politics.

The lawsuit was filed Jan. 11 in federal court in Washington, D.C. The defendants are the office of Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is "to advance the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public," according to its website.

Read more: Sheila Jackson Lee steps down from key posts amid ex-aide's retribution claim

Jackson Lee issued a statement Wednesday "adamantly" denying the woman's allegation and recounting her record of advancing civil rights and non-discrimination legislation, including a law that applies to Congress.

The foundation released a statement promising to cooperate with an investigation of the woman's claims.

In stark detail, the lawsuit describes what the young woman said happened to her that night of her alleged assault: she was set up to be the last to leave an intern event, which was followed by an alcohol-fueled dinner, a stop at a liquor store and arrival at the supervisor's home. There, she says, the man forced her to perform oral sex; she woke up naked, and in pain, the next day in his bed.

Among the texts she sent to a friend, according to the suit, was one reading: "Help."

The accused supervisor was placed on leave from the organization, but the accuser decided not to pursue a lawsuit then, according to the suit against Jackson Lee's office.

The lawsuit gives this account of subsequent events:

Two years after the alleged sexual assault, the woman graduated from college. At a networking event, she met Jackson Lee's chief of staff and was offered a job as special assistant and director of public engagement.

On her first day at work she learned that the accused foundation supervisor was also interested in working for Jackson Lee. She told Glenn Rushing, the congresswoman's chief of staff, "that she had a 'prior situation' with (him) and was not comfortable working with him." Rushing said he was not going to hire him.

In 2018, about five months after she first met Rushing, she told him she intended to pursue a legal case against the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the man she said assaulted her. She asked Rushing to set up a meeting with Jackson Lee, but it never happened.

On March 29, 2018, she was fired. She was told, according to the suit, that the reason was "because of budgetary issues" and because "she was the last person hired by the office." She moved back home to live with her mother.

The suit says the woman suffered from anxiety and depression, which worsened after she was fired. She lost 50 pounds. She stopped going on dates.

"Ms. Doe's career was derailed as a result of Representative Jackson Lee firing her," the suit states.

She is seeking damages exceeding $75,000.