A sexual battery and defamation lawsuit claims the leaders of the Conservative Political Action Conference were aware of previous sexual misconduct claims made against Matt Schlapp but refused to investigate or punish him via Mediaite.
“ACU previously was notified and aware of Matthew Schlapp’s propensity for unlawful sexual assault and battery, including at least two prior incidents of similar conduct,” the filing reads. “ACU was negligent in its continued employment of Matthew Schlapp in a prominent leadership role.”
It has been noted that during a fundraising trip to South Florida in early 2022, Schlapp faced accusations of stripping to his underwear before he proceeded to rub himself against another individual without consent, according to the filing as reported by the Washington Post.
Moreover, a male employee accused Schlapp of attempting to kiss him at a CPAC after-party in 2017. Schlapp’s spokesperson denied all the accusation and claimed the new filing is an attempt to sway the opinions of the jury.
“These demonstrably false allegations are a continuation of transparent and desperate tactics,” the spokesperson told Wapo, adding the defendant is trying “to bolster his spurious claims and taint potential jurors.”
The new allegations were discovered amidst a current lawsuit with former Republican campaigns staffer, Carlton Huffman, who accused Schlapp of grabbing his genitals backed in October 2022. The two unnamed individuals apart of the new allegations are not joining the lawsuit and their testimony was revealed during the discovery process.
Huffman previously worked for the failed senate campaign of Republican candidate Herschel Walker. He claims that Schlapp groped his groin while he was driving the CPAC leader back to his Atlanta hotel last year, where he repeatedly invited him to his room.
