The Huntington Town Supervisor, formerly a state assemblyman, has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by his former aide.
Harassment started right away
Brian Finnegan worked for Supervisor Chad Lupinacci while he represented District 10. Finnegan worked for Lupinacci for three years, and he alleged the sexual harassment began almost immediately. The former legislative aide claimed that Lupinacci asked him repeatedly about his sex life.
Harassment turned into assault
Then last December things escalated. Finnegan said he agreed to share a hotel room with Lupinacci because of budget limitations. He claimed he awoke in the middle of the night when Lupinacci crawled into bed with him. The state assemblyman then allegedly performed unwanted sexual acts on Finnegan.
The former aide stated he fled the hotel, caught an Amtrak home and called his family and lawyer. Finnegan also resigned, but did not report the assault to the police.
Finnegan was ashamed of the assault
He said he felt humiliated and embarrassed by the incident, which is why he did not report it sooner. He has now filed a civil lawsuit against Lupinacci.
The supervisor released a statement denying the charges and suggested Finnegan was motivated by financial greed.
Sexual harassment includes different kinds of behavior
Sexual harassment can take many forms in the workplace. It can include unwanted sexual advances, asking for sexual favors, physical actions of a sexual nature, sexual remarks or even remarks about a person’s real or perceived sex. Harassment does not have occur between a man and woman. It can occur between two men or two women.
Sexual harassment in the workplace violates federal law. If you have experienced sexual harassment in your workplace, you have legal rights against these actions. You can contact an employment law attorney with experience representing individuals in sexual harassment cases. An attorney can help you build a case against your harasser and pursue justice.
