Tea Party Candidate Accused of Sexual Assault
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A 39-year-old Cleveland woman sued auto dealer and Republican congressional candidate Tom Ganley on Thursday, accusing him of sexually assaulting her in his office last year.
The married mother of four filed the civil suit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court after months of attorney negotiations and a five-hour mediation conference failed to reach a settlement. She seeks damages in excess of $25,000.
(Read the complaint against Ganley and the exhibits.)
Ganley’s lawyer, former prosecutor Steve Dever, called the charges extortion and said they were motivated by politics.
“These are baseless allegations, the only motive being to extort money and to cause political harm to a good and decent man,” Dever said Thursday night. “Tom Ganley is not the type of person who’s going to back down from threats and be extorted for financial gain.”
“Unfortunately, his day in court won’t come until after the election,” Dever said.
The lawsuit is the first public allegation made by the woman, who never told police of the August 2009 encounter with Ganley and still has not filed a police report. The Plain Dealer does not identify people who claim to be victims of sexual assault.
Ganley, a conservative Republican, faces incumbent Betty Sutton, a Democrat, in the 13th Congressional District. He had not shown much interest in running for public office before last year and contributed little money to politicians. He describes himself as an political outsider whose business experience qualifies him for office.