EX- MADIGAN CONSULTANT FILES FEDERAL LAWSUIT
A former campaign consultant for Mike Madigan filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the powerful Illinois House speaker’s political committee and the state Democratic party, over the “severe and persistent sexual harassment” that she suffered and says went ignored for nearly a year despite her complaints.
Alaina Hampton’s suit outlines the accusations that she first leveled publicly last month against Madigan aide Kevin Quinn — a younger brother of Ald. Marty Quinn ( 13th) — claiming he sent her barrages of unwanted text messages and phone calls in pursuit of a romantic and sexual relationship.
Madigan fired Kevin Quinn a day before Hampton went public on Feb. 13, with the speaker hailing her as a “courageous woman” — but Hampton dismissed the termination as a proactive “coverup,” noting that no action was taken for nearly a year after she first brought up her complaints.
A spokesman for Madigan could not immediately be reached for comment. Hampton scheduled a press conference to announce the suit Thursday morning.
Hampton started working for Madigan’s Southwest Side ward organization out of college in 2012, and Kevin Quinn began bombarding her with messages between August 2016 and February 2017, according to the suit.
“Specifically, during this five- month period, Kevin Quinn called Ms. Hampton repeatedly, late at night, and sent her dozens of text messages asking her out, telling her she was ‘ smoking hot’ and urging her to go out with him,” the suit states.
Hampton reported the “pervasive” harassment to Ald. Marty Quinn, and he “informed Ms. Hampton that she could ‘ block’ Kevin Quinn’s phone number on her phone and that Ms. Hampton would no longer be required to report to Kevin Quinn directly,” the suit states.
But her next assignment was as a precinct officer working alongside the younger Quinn, forcing her to quit to avoid “crippling fear and anxiety,” according to the single- count suit, which is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for discriminatory and retaliatory conduct.
Hampton also addressed her complaints to Madigan directly, but they went “disregarded and ignored,” the suit states.
She claims she later met with a private lawyer for Madigan who “flippantly accused Ms. Hampton of wanting to get a ‘ front page newspaper story’ and money.”
After her departure from Madigan’s organization, Hampton went on to manage the campaign of Bridget Degnen, who on Tuesday successfully unseated two- term incumbent Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey.