Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green had sex with a staffer who he said was a drug addict and then sued her when she threatened to go public with claims she suffered a hostile work environment, saying he “will not be extorted or blackmailed.”
Lucinda Daniels, his onetime district director, claimed she suffered a hostile work environment, claimed sexual harassment and demanded $1.8 million. Green sued her, saying she was using their sexual relationship to shake him down at the behest of other unnamed conspirators.
“Daniels has threatened to go public with her complaints if the Congressman does not per her money. Green has done nothing wrong and refuses to pay ‘hush money’ just for political expediency. Green will not be extorted or blackmailed by Daniels. He will not be the victim of a shakedown by Daniels and her agents. Green demands vindication of his actions and now sues Daniels for declaratory judgment relief relating to her workplace allegations and her quest for money,” documents Green filed in federal court in 2008 say.
Daniels also unknowingly dialed the congressman while she was allegedly buying cocaine. Green submitted the voicemail, now sealed, as evidence in the case.
In the recording, “Daniels is heard ‘snorting’ the cocaine immediately before questioning whether it was ‘cut’ with some other substance and being assured that it was “straight off the ki[lo] … Daniels asks for the purchase price of the drugs, which she calls her ‘Tuesday special’ price. In response, the drug dealer sells her the drugs for $40.”
Green said Daniels “act[ed] sluggish at work as through under the influence of drugs” and “slurr[ed] her speech as if under drug influence.” He claims she fell “asleep on the phone in the middle of telephone conversations with staff and the Congressman” and had “a general appearance of incoherence at times due to apparent drug use.”
Lucinda Daniels, the staffer, claimed she suffered a hostile work environment.
Green confronted Daniels on the drug use and suggested she seek treatment. Not long afterward, Daniels “claims the Congressman retaliated against her in the workplace because of her gender and because she refused additional romantic requests.” Green rejected her claims as false.
Though the case apparently went unnoticed, Green’s office put out a preemptive statement Monday in conjunction with Daniels saying:
In the present climate, we wish to jointly quiet any curious minds about our former and present relationship with one another. We are friends, and have long been friends. At an unfortunate time in our lives, when both of our feelings were hurt, we hastily made allegations and charges against one another that have been absolutely resolved.
This matter has been resolved without payment of any money or transfer of any consideration of any kind by either of us to the other. As friends, we have both agreed that we see no need to make further statements regarding this absolutely resolved matter.
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