Ex-campaign worker settles US suit with Madigan panels

A former campaign worker has reached a $275,000 settlement with four of House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political committees over allegations of sexual harassment by one of his top lieutenants and allegations the speaker’s Democratic team had blackballed her, the Tribune has learned.

Alaina Hampton filed a federal lawsuit in 2018 accusing Madigan’s political operations of retaliation after she reported inappropriate behavior by Kevin Quinn, a veteran aide whom the speaker has ousted.

The settlement comes a little more than a week after the Tribune reported that Madigan’s longtime confidant Michael McClain, an ex-lobbyist for ComEd, had orchestrated for other current and former ComEd lobbyists to give Quinn contracts after Madigan fired him amid the scandal. The more than $30,000 in payments to Quinn and emails about the work are part of a federal investigation into ComEd lobbying activities, the Tribune has reported.

The settlement, dated Nov. 26, also comes less than a week since North Side Democratic Sen. Iris Martinez called on Madigan to explain the payments or resign as chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party.

The Hampton dispute with Madigan’s team became a high-profile embarrassment for the speaker shortly after the Tribune reported in February 2018 that Hampton had received a relentless string of text messages from Quinn while she served as a Democratic campaign worker, including one text in which he called her “smoking hot.”

Madigan cut Quinn loose just before Hampton was going to go public, but she contended at the time that Quinn, brother of Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, should have been fired much earlier.

“Going public with my story and pursuing a cause of action against some of the most powerful people in this state, and people I cared about, has not been easy,” Hampton said in a statement. “The past three years have taken a toll on me, so I am relieved to move forward with my life and put these events behind me.

“Since speaking out publicly nearly two years ago, we have seen positive changes in this state,” Hampton’s statement said. “The legislature has passed sweeping legislation to deal with sexual harassment, which achieves important gains — although there is still more to be done.

“Others have come forward as well, leading to multiple firings and resignations of abusive men. Lastly, a space has been created for an open and honest dialogue about sexism and abuse in the workplace that I’m confident will continue,” she said.

A Madigan spokeswoman released a statement, saying, “We are pleased with the agreement to resolve the lawsuit.

“Speaker Madigan remains committed to protecting employees, volunteers and candidates who care about working families and the rights of women, minorities and others whose voices are often silenced,” according to the statement. “Creating a fair and welcoming workplace is a priority for Speaker Madigan and the Democratic Party of Illinois.

“Over the last two years, the speaker and the party have made significant changes to strengthen training, policies and reporting procedures for staff and volunteers to ensure their rights are protected.”

Of the settlement, Hampton will receive $75,000, according to Shelly Kulwin, her attorney. Kulwin said his law firm would receive the bulk of the rest of the funds, but a portion also will go to Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, an organization that has helped women impacted by sexual harassment cases since the beginning of the national #MeToo movement.

The four Madigan-controlled committees that reached the settlement with Hampton are the Democratic Party of Illinois, the Democratic Majority, the 13th Ward Democratic Organization and Friends of Michael J. Madigan. The settlement also says the Madigan committees are not admitting liability or wrongdoing by making the payment.

As part of the settlement, Hampton will drop her federal case and not pursue legal action against Madigan and several of his aides in the matter. The agreement includes clauses that Madigan and key members of his team will not disparage Hampton, and she won’t disparage specific individuals, including Madigan. She will not seek employment with the Madigan committees, according to Hampton’s team.

The Hampton case has remained in the public eye because of developments in the ongoing federal case. The Tribune reported the FBI recorded McClain’s phone calls. His house was among Madigan associates whose houses have been raided by the FBI. And the

Tribune disclosed McClain’s emails to lobbyists that arranged the payments to Kevin Quinn, urging everyone to keep the contracts confidential.

“It is a wonderful sacrifice,” McClain wrote to the lobbyists. He wrote to Quinn that the lobbyists are “sticking their necks out knowing full well if it goes public before you are exonerated they will get the full blast from the ‘MeToo’ movement.”

At the time the email story broke, a Madigan spokeswoman issued a statement: “If a group of people were attempting to help Kevin Quinn, the speaker was not a part of it.”

In February 2018, Madigan announced he had kicked Kevin Quinn out of his political organization just as Hampton was about to go public with her sexual harassment claims. At the time, Hampton shared texts with the Tribune that detailed a relentless series of entreaties from Kevin

Quinn to go out with him. She viewed him as her supervisor — a point the Madigan team disputes.

Among the texts included in a Hampton legal filing was one in which Kevin Quinn purportedly informed her he was separated from his wife.

Hampton repeatedly discouraged the overtures, saying she wanted to keep the relationship professional.