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Farenthold Sexual Harassment Case Is Settled Out of Court

Farenthold and Greene have settled their case out of court. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Farenthold and Greene have settled their case out of court. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The sexual harassment case against Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, halted Wednesday because an agreement was reached by the two parties.  

The details of the resolution that led to the parties’ suggestion the case be dismissed, which was first reported by the National Law Journal , are unclear. The lawyer for Lauren Greene, the former staffer who alleged harassment and discrimination, and Farenthold’s office, did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday night. In December, Greene, who worked as Farenthold’s  communications director, filed a lawsuit in District of Columbia court, alleging that Farenthold sexually harassed her, discriminated against her because she is a woman, and retaliated against her for complaining about the harassment.  

According to court documents, in February the two parties were ordered to “meet and confer in good faith in an attempt to resolve the dispute informally.” And on Wednesday lawyers for Greene and the House Employment Counsel, representing Farenthold, filed a joint one-sentence document stating that “pursuant to the agreement of the parties,” the case should be dismissed.  

The House Ethics Committee was in the midst of investigating the allegations against Farenthold. In September, the committee released findings from the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, which did not find sufficient evidence to back Greene’s claims. At the time, the Ethics Committee said its investigation would continue, citing the ongoing lawsuit.

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