A former staff member for Rep. Troy Nehls will get no settlement money in the dismissal of his lawsuit that alleged he was pressured out of his job because he was gay, according to the congressman’s office. Alex Chadwell, who worked for Nehls’ offices in Washington and Texas, filed a lawsuit in 2024 contending he faced a hostile workplace and alleging the lawmaker’s chief of staff made homophobic comments. The federal lawsuit also included allegations that Nehls asked another person to find out whether Chadwell was gay and, after hearing back, started to ostracize him. Court records show a jury trial date had been scheduled for later this year. But last week, both sides notified the court that they had agreed to dismiss the case. Each party would pay its own attorney’s fees, the document said. A federal judge signed off on the dismissal a day later. Chadwell initiated the dismissal of the lawsuit, according to Nehls’ spokesperson Emily Matthews, who said in a written statement that the case was bogus and that his claims “had no merit or factual basis.” “This fabricated case was always about the money for the plaintiff. Using taxpayer dollars to settle this case was out of the question,” Matthews said. “The plaintiff tried to settle twice, and the office made it clear to him he wasn’t getting a nickel.” The office, she said, is actively considering a defamation lawsuit. Chadwell, in a statement through his attorney, cited the financial cost that comes with federal court litigation, describing it as a “terribly expensive undertaking.” “I wish that I could have taken this case all the way to trial to demonstrate just how pervasive the anti-gay attitude was in Mr. Nehls office, from top to bottom,” Chadwell said. “However, I have my future to think of, and I could not undertake the risk and expense inherent in continuing a case like this.” The lawsuit had accused Nehls’ chief of staff, Robert Schroeder, of making remarks that “gays go to hell” and that it was “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” along with other offensive jokes and comments about gay people. Chadwell began working as a legislative correspondent for Nehls in the Washington office in January 2021 but later asked to be transferred to a district office because of “direct anti-gay hostility” from Schroeder, according to the lawsuit. After the transfer and change of role, the lawsuit alleged, Nehls also began to treat Chadwell differently after finding out he was believed to be gay. The Texas Republican stopped reaching out to Chadwell about office matters and frequently ignored his attempts at outreach, the lawsuit stated. Chadwell was also cut off from performing many of his regular job duties, including restricting him from accompanying Nehls on trips and functions within the district, the lawsuit alleged. At social gatherings, Nehls and his wife also stopped interacting with Chadwell, the lawsuit alleged. Chadwell, according to his lawsuit, left Nehls’ office in October 2023 after he faced pressure from Schroeder, the chief of staff. Schroeder urged him to take a job with Big Brothers Big Sisters, told him he had no future in the office and called him daily to pressure him to take the new job, according to the lawsuit.
