Jim Rosica
An aide to then-Florida state Sen. Maria Lorts Sachs has sued his former employer, saying she “exposed (him) to unwelcome sexual conduct” by frequently undressing in front of him.
Matthew Damsky sued the Florida Senate in Leon County Circuit Civil court this week on gender discrimination and retaliation charges. The 68-year-old Sachs, elected to the Senate in 2010, declined to run for re-election this year.
The Palm Beach County Democrat was known for her frequent wardrobe changes, particularly on long days of the legislative session.
The case, reported by the Tallahassee Democrat on Thursday, says the 28-year-old Damsky was fired this February when he objected to Sachs’s demands of doing her “grocery shopping, walking her dog, maintaining her relatives’ homes, and traveling cross country to assist” them.
He says he also was “ordered” to perform work for her legal practice on Senate time, including “drafting legal pleadings.”
Damsky seeks “all legally-available general and compensatory damages and economic loss,” his suit says.
“The Senate has not yet been served, so the Senate attorneys have not yet received a copy of, or had the opportunity to review the complaint,” spokeswoman Katie Betta said Thursday.
Sachs previously has denied the accusations. She said Damsky, of Boca Raton, resigned after admitting to charging nearly $50,000 in plane tickets on Sachs’ credit card without her knowledge, among other things.
Damsky is represented by Marie Mattox, a longtime employment discrimination attorney in Tallahassee.
