Indiana attorney general tries barring testimony against him
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is trying to block two women from testifying about allegations of sexual misconduct as he prepares for an upcoming disciplinary hearing on separate claims that he drunkenly groped four women at a bar last year.
The
Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission wants the women to
testify about Hill’s actions when they were employees under him as the
Elkhart County prosecutor before becoming attorney general in 2017.
One
of the women is expected to testify about Hill’s “inappropriate sexual
innuendo and propositions directed to her,” commission lawyers said in
legal filings in the past week, first reported
by The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette. The other woman could testify
about Hill’s “character and reputation in the legal community.”
Hill’s lawyers argue that such testimony about unrelated events shouldn’t be allowed during the hearing on professional misconduct charges
against Hill that is scheduled to begin Monday before former state
Supreme Court Justice Myra Selby. The hearing could lead to actions by
the state Supreme Court including dismissal of the complaint,
reprimands, and being stripped of his license to practice law.
Selby
didn’t rule during a conference Wednesday afternoon with the lawyers
for Hill and the disciplinary commission on whether she will allow the
testimony.
The misconduct complaint stems from allegations by a
state lawmaker and three legislative staffers accusing Hill of touching
their backs or buttocks in March 2018 at an Indianapolis bar, where a
party was being held to celebrate the end of that year’s legislative
session.
Hill, a 58-year-old Republican, has denied wrongdoing and
resisted calls from Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and other state
government leaders for his resignation.
Disciplinary commission
lawyers maintain the testimony from the Elkhart County employees should
be allowed because it would show Hill’s conduct at the 2018 party “was
not just an isolated event unfortunately caused by a relaxed social
atmosphere and too much to drink. Such information is valuable as the
Hearing Officer recommends an appropriate sanction.”
Democratic
Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon of Munster and one Republican and two
Democratic legislative staffers — ages 23 to 26 at the time of the party
— have filed a federal lawsuit against Hill alleging sexual harassment and defamation. A special prosecutor declined to file criminal charges against Hill and a state inspector general’s report determined Hill didn’t break any state ethics rules.
Other
recent disciplinary case filings by Hill include admissions that he
drank three glasses of wine, a martini and a shot of whiskey over
several hours the night of the party. The filings say Hill denies
allegations of touching Reardon’s buttocks and rubbing one staffer’s
back but will testify he “did not intentionally place his hand … in
the vicinity” of another staffer’s buttocks.
Hill’s lawyers wrote
that he interacted with dozens of people during the party. They said
Hill “has an engaging personality and often physically interacts with
others by placing a hand on the other person’s arm, shoulder or back. He
also has some difficulty hearing in one ear, so he is prone to leaning
close to people with whom he is conversing, especially in loud
environments.”
Hill argues that the disciplinary case is improper
because he was cleared by the special prosecutor and that the
allegations have nothing to do with his actions as a lawyer.
The disciplinary commission argues Hill faces a “heightened duty of ethical conduct” because of his position.
Hill’s
“ethical violations and offensive conduct reflect poorly on the legal
profession and does incalculable harm to the public perception of the
Attorney General’s office,” the commission said.