SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A California State Senator is being sued by her former chief of staff for sexual harassment and for creating a hostile work environment.
Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil, who represents several communities from El Dorado Hills to Yosemite, is pushing back against the allegations.
Alvarado-Gil made headlines last month because she left the Democratic Party and joined the California Republican Party. Friday, she is facing not only sexual harassment allegations but also being accused of discrimination and retaliation. But her attorney tells ABC10, they are not settling this case.
According to the 38-page complaint, former chief of staff Chad Condit claims Marie Alvarado-Gil pressured him into performing oral sex on her.
In one instance, the suit alleged Alvarado-Gil demanded Condit show his loyalty by "having him go down on her." On a trip to Inyo County, Condit says they pulled over to go to the restroom and when he came back to the car, Alvarado-Gil had her pants pulled down and her legs spread, exposing her private area and wanted him to "kiss it and prove your loyalty."
The complaint alleges after several months of creating a "dominant-submissive relationship," Condit was numbed and acted without thinking. It also alleges, Condit helped find work for Alvarado-Gil's daughter and son, picked up her daughter, who had a flat tire during a weeknight, walked, and took care of the Senator's dog during work hours.
One time Alvarado-Gil is claimed of saying, "(Condit) looked like Brad Pitt" and asked if Condit and his wife would be interested in a "throuples."
The court documents allege during the last occasion where he performed oral sex in a small car, having to twist and contort his body and later learned during a doctor's appointment, that it allegedly caused a back injury, including suffering three herniated discs and a collapsed hip.
The lawsuit says Condit was hired by the senator in December 2022, after winning the election as a Democrat in a Republican District where Condit and his son helped. Before participating in Alvarado-Gil's campaign, Condit ran for State Assembly in 2022 but never made it past the primary.
The court documents claim by August 2023, Condit made it very clear that the Senator's further advances and attention were not welcomed and sought to distance himself. The document goes on to claim Alvarado-Gil and her "Deputy Chief and childhood buddy" Vanessa Bravo went to the Secretary of the Senate to get Condit fired as punishment and retaliation.
During that time, Condit says Alvarado-Gil went to his home with a staff member and told Condit's wife that he was seeing another person, while Condit was home sick at the time and claims to have heard the conversation. The complaint goes on to say, it caused a major rift between Condit and his wife.
Condit was fired in December 2023 after he said he refused to wear a Santa Claus costume, while no other staff was directed to wear a costume. Shortly after, Condit said he received a text from Alvarado-Gil notifying him that he was fired.
The senator’s attorney Ognian Gavrilov provided ABC10 with the following statement, “A disgruntled former employee has fabricated an outlandish story, presented without evidence, to get a payday. we expect that the senator will be fully cleared of any wrongdoing of these bogus, financially motivated claims.”
The lawsuit comes almost a month after Alvarado-Gil switched political parties.
“The timing makes it a little bit of questionable, she switches parties, and all of the sudden accusations come out," said Tab Berg, a Republican consultant.
Berg said people should wait until the case plays out.
“This would be a case where it would be good to wait for the facts before people starting jumping around," Berg added.
Democratic consultant Steve Maviglio says, "They are hair-raising allegations, that is for sure." He adds this will impact the senator and the California Senate.
The lawsuit claims California State Senate Human Resources ignores the complaints of sexual harassment and "the Secretary of
the Senate blindly accepted" the senator's retaliatory actions against Condit and accepted her abuse of him.
“There are a lot of serious allegations in this complaint and also noted the senate resources office did not act on it. that is something many people have been complaining about for years, mostly women," Maviglio said.
The Secretary of the Senate tells ABC10 that the Senate is "in discussions with counsel to assess the next steps." The statement went on to say "The Senate takes all complaints incredibly seriously, but is unable to comment on matters involving pending litigation."
California GOP spokesperson Ellie Hockenbury provided the following statement to ABC10.
“We are aware of the allegations and will let the legal process run its course on this matter.”
This all comes as a few months ago, the Modesto Bee reported Senator Alvarado-Gil asked Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate Condit's son, Channce Condit - a Stanislaus County Supervisor - over a $5 million grant for a project.
The Condits' are a well-known political family in Stanislaus County. Condit's father is former Congressman Gary Condit.
Gary Condit faced a media storm in 2001 after the death of Chandra Levy. Another person was arrested for her death.
Schimmel & Parks, APLC, representing Chad Condit, provided the following statement in response to inquiries over the lawsuit.
“Workplace sexual harassment always involves power dynamics, and this case is no different. Sen. Alvarado-Gil’s abuse of power and retaliation against her former chief of staff is documented in explicit detail in our verified lawsuit. Her inappropriate sexual behavior towards Mr. Condit, and predatory fixation on his family, is conduct that no employer should engage in, and it is unbecoming of a state Senator. We look forward to seeking justice for our client for the substantial harm inflicted on him by his former boss.
Elected officials like Sen. Alvarado-Gil are subject to the same laws as anyone else in California. As the state Senate conducts its internal investigation into the actions of Sen. Alvarado-Gil, we urge a thorough, unbiased investigation to ensure accountability and uphold the principles of a safe and respectful workplace for all employees. No individual, regardless of their position, should be allowed to abuse their authority or retaliate against those who have the courage to speak up.”
