Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler is defying calls from elected officials on both sides of the aisle that he resign in the wake of a sexual harassment suit filed last month by a longtime employee of his office.
At a news conference this afternoon, Schedler says he will fight the lawsuit and stay in the office he has held since 2010. He will not, however, seek reelection in 2019.
“All of them (family and friends) told me to stay the course, but I plan to fight these allegations,” says Schedler.
On Feb. 22, a longtime employee of the Secretary of State’s office filed a sexual harassment suit against Schedler in 19th Judicial District Court, alleging he repeatedly propositioned her and retaliated when she rejected his advances.
Schedler, after the lawsuit became public, said he had a long-term, consensual sexual relationship with the woman but did not harass her—a claim the woman’s attorney, Jill Craft, denies.
In recent weeks, Gov. John Bel Edwards and several state lawmakers have called on Schedler to step down for the good of the state.
He had not responded to those calls and, until this afternoon, remaining out of public view—even skipping Monday’s opening of the legislative session.
“I knew I would be up against a lot of judgment and disappointment, but I’ve experienced the opposite. I’ve been overwhelmed with the public kindness,” says Schedler. “Staying is not going to be easy, but leaving would be cowering and Tom Schedler is not a coward. As always the truth lies somewhere in the middle. All the facts will be revealed in the proper place and time.”
Schedler says his office is at a critical crossroads with equipment upgrades and is undertaking important business that could not get done without him.
“They elected me to do a job and it’s too important for me to walk away from it—especially with my tail between my legs,” he says, adding that he cannot talk about the lawsuit since it’s pending litigation.
