Katie Brennan, the official in Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration who accused a former top Murphy staffer of raping her in 2017, is seeking damages from the state of New Jersey for inflicting “emotional distress” by employing her accused rapist.

Brennan, in a notice of tort claim against the state, accused the administration of acting “unlawfully, intentionally, negligently and/or with reckless indifference” when it hired and retained Albert J. Alvarez.

Brennan’s attorney filed the claim with the state Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Risk Management on Dec. 28 seeking unspecified damages. The claim is an initial step before a lawsuit can be filed.

Brennan, chief of staff to the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, has accused Alvarez, the former chief of staff to the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, of raping her after a Murphy campaign gathering in April 2017.

Alvarez was director of Latino/Muslin outreach at the time, while Brennan was a campaign supporter. Both were hired by Murphy’s transition and then his administration.

In the claim, Brennan accuses the administration of negligence for hiring Alvarez — and keeping him in his position — at the Schools Development Authority after top officials were told he had been accused of rape. She has said she informed several officials in Murphy’s administration that Alvarez raped her but that they ignored her pleas until she told her story to the Wall Street Journal and it became politically inconvenient for the governor.

Her claim also calls out the administration for not conducting an investigation into Brennan’s allegation of sexual assault.

Murphy officials asked Alvarez to begin looking for job outside of state government in March 2018 and then again in June. He stayed in his position, however, until Oct. 2, when he was contacted by a reporter for comment.

Brennan’s claim says the administration harmed her by letting Alvarez continue in his position unfettered.

Alvarez has not been charged with a crime and has denied the charges through a lawyer.

Murphy’s office and the state Attorney General’s Office declined to comment on Brennan’s notice of tort.

The Wall Street Journal story prompted Murphy and the state Legislature to open separate investigations into how the administration handled Brennan’s allegations.

The special legislative committee examining the matter will hold two public hearings next week to interview a handful of officials, including top lawyers for Murphy’s transition and administration.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.