Chad Condit, the former chief of staff for California State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil is suing the lawmaker for sexual harassment.
In a lawsuit filed in the Sacramento Superior Court on Thursday Condit, 57, claimed that shortly after he was hired in December 2022, Alvarado-Gil began sharing intimate details about her marriage and asked if “he had ever cheated on his wife and if he would ever be intimate with a boss.”
Condit, the son of former Democratic congressman Gary Condit, who had been accused of having affairs, claimed in the lawsuit that Alvarado-Gil also asked him if he “would be like his father.”
Alvarado-Gil’s inappropriate comments intensified over time and by March 2023 she began asking him if he and his wife would be interested in “throuples” and also started to share her sexual fantasies with him. The senator allegedly told Condit that she is into “short black men and old white guys like (Condit),” according to the complaint.
During a work trip to Inyo County Alvarado-Gil took things to the next level by demanding that Condit show his loyalty to her by “having him go down on her.”
Condit alleged in the complaint that when he pulled over to use the restroom and returned to the car, Alvarado-Gil had her pants pulled down and her legs wide open exposing her private area and demanded that he “kiss it and prove his loyalty.”
“Alvarado-Gil appeared to enjoy her power and demanded this show of ‘loyalty’ on several occasions,” the complaint said.
During the last occasion when Condit performed oral sex on Alvarado-Gil in the tight confines of a car, the complaint says he suffered a back injury from twisting and contorting his body. He later learned during a doctor’s appointment that he “suffered three herniated disc in his back and a collapsed hip.”
Condit said when he made it very clear to Alvarado-Gil that her advances and attention were not welcomed she became “unhappy with him.”
According to the complaint Alvarado-Gil went to the Secretary of the Senate to reprimand him. She also went to Condit’s home during that time and told his wife that he was seeing someone else which caused problems between Condit and his wife.
In December 2023, Condit said he was fired after refusing to wear a Santa Clause costume even though no other staff members were asked to wear the costume.
In a statement, Alvarado-Gil’s attorney called Condit a “disgruntled former employee” who “fabricated an outlandish story….to get a payday.”
The lawsuit also names the California State Senate as a defendant, alleging that the chamber “blindly accepted” Alvarado-Gil’s retaliatory actions.
“The senate has not been served in the matter but we are in discussion with counsel to assess next steps,” Secretary of the Senate Erika Contreras said in a statement to Politico. “The Senate takes all complaints incredibly seriously, but is unable to comment on matters involving pending litigation.”
Alvarado-Gil made headlines last month after leaving the Democratic supermajority in the California senate to join the Republican minority.
At the time, she said, “the pendulum has swung so far left that it has disengaged from true Californian values.”
As a result of the switch, Republicans are raising questions about the timing of the lawsuit.
“The timing makes it a little bit of questionable, she switches parties, and all of the sudden accusations come out,” Tab Berg, a Republican consultant said. “This would be a case where it would be good to wait for the facts before people starting jumping around.”
Condit is seeking monetary damages including lost wages, loss of earning capacity, employee benefits and damages for emotional distress.