Sofia Quintanar: Ex-aide sues NY AG Letitia James for covering up alleged sexual assault by ex-chief of staff
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Ex-aide sued New York Attorney General Letitia James for protecting her chief of staff, Ibrahim Khan, over alleged sexual harassment and assault. According to the lawsuit filed on December 15, the harasser “stuck his tongue down” the victim's throat.
Sofia Quintanar made allegations against Khan for "forcefully shoving his tongue down her throat" at a political fundraiser. The incident took place on November 17, 2021, in Brooklyn, as per the court records. Following multiple complaints of sexual harassment and abuse against Khan, he reportedly resigned from his position.
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“After a successful four-year term, I’ve been slated to leave the office for the private sector at the end of this year. This is unrelated to an investigation which, nevertheless, found no official workplace misconduct. I’m proud of all we have achieved over these past four years in serving New Yorkers,” Khan said in a statement pointing out that his resignation had nothing to do with the sexual harassment probe, reports the New York Post.
Quintanar accused James' office of protecting longtime aide Khan and of passing “misleading statements to the press” that “he was on vacation or with a sick relative” despite his being suspended for two months following the complaints filed. The sexual abuse complaints were filed before Election Day and were allegedly silenced until the AG's victory.
On December 2, based on the investigation, the AG's office concluded that the chief of staff had engaged in sexual assault and workplace misconduct involving two former staffers, according to the New York Post. Without mentioning any particular statements regarding the allegations, Khan was allowed to resign on November 22 with pay until year-end, before the probe's conclusion.
The victim understood the matter only “from press reports that Attorney General James permitted Khan to resign without formally revealing the reasons for his departure.”
According to the lawsuit, Quintanar alleges that James and the office should not have been involved in covering up the allegations and should have protected her. She also accuses them of being negligent in Khan's hiring and supervision. Negligence, retaliation, and discrimination are the claims put forth by Quintanar against the Attorney General, her office, and her campaign, and accuses James and Khan of unspecified damages.
The complaint filed also mentioned that "under similar circumstances", the Attorney General allowed a press office deputy to resign in 2019.
The Attorney General's office hired Quintanar in 2020 as a deputy press secretary. In 2021, she worked for Byron Brown, the Buffalo Mayor when he ran for re-election. After Brown's success, Quintanar's job hunt ended with her attending the fundraising in Brooklyn where the alleged harassment took place.
In the lawsuit, the former aide explained the incident where she and Khan met at the fundraiser and the interaction was friendly in the beginning. However, Khan allegedly convinced her to move out of the venue telling her that it was too loud inside the venue.
He “rested the weight of his hand on Quintanar’s shoulder, and shoved his face forward aggressively to kiss her, without saying a word. He then stuck his tongue down her throat, still holding her shoulder," claims the suit.
Shocked at the happening, Quintanar pushed him away and asked, “Aren’t you married?” “Don’t you have kids?” and “What are you doing?” Khan allegedly continued to try to kiss her and Quintanar stepped back, as per the complaint.
Fearing that her career would be destroyed, Quintanar did not come forward to open up about the happenings at first as she knew, “Khan’s high profile and his power within New York Democratic politics,” the suit states. Later, she found that Khan was accused of sexual assault by another former staffer in 2017, reports the New York Post.
Quintanar informed the happening to an investigator in the AG's office and understood that the outcome of it was Khan being allowed to resign and the office stated that "he took a victory lap for his time working” for the AG in a public release, the suit states.
According to the New York Post, Quintanar stated that she hopes that opening up about the incident will help women of color have their voice in the #MeToo movement. “While I fear the effect that this might have on my career, I know that fear should never stand in the way of doing what is right,” she said.
She continued her statement that “I hope I can give other survivors the courage to find their voice and hold those in positions of power responsible for their actions when they demonstrate the belief that they are above the law.”
“This case is not about politics. It is about abuse of power, the absence of appropriate oversight, and the vindication of the rights of Ms. Quintanar", stated Quinatanar's lawyers Douglas Wigdor and Valdi Licul.