A former staffer for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) has claimed in a lawsuit that she was fired last year in retaliation for legal action the staffer planned to bring against the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) related to an alleged rape.
“Jane Doe” claimed she was raped in October 2015 while a CBCF intern by her supervisor at the time. A criminal investigation proved inconclusive and she did not immediately pursue legal action, though she met with CBCF reps. In 2017 “Doe,” then a staffer for Lee, the chair of the CBCF’s Board of Directors, was fired when the incident came to light, “Doe” claims.
In a statement released Thursday, Lee’s office denied “that it retaliated against, or otherwise improperly treated” the staffer.