An unidentified woman accused Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, of sexually harassing and assaulting her before retaliating against her through his perch atop the powerful business group when she rejected his overtures, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Travis County.
The woman, identified in her court filing as “Jane Doe,” was described on social media by her attorney, Tony Buzbee, as the founder and executive director of Texas Venture Alliance, an advocacy group for startups and entrepreneurs. She is seeking more than $10 million in damages.
The lawsuit alleges that Hamer pursued the woman using his status as the head of TAB, offering to help advance TVA and connect the woman with important people. Hamer also serves as chairman of the TVA, according to the group’s website, and the two organizations partnered in September 2024 to launch an initiative promoting entrepreneurship in Texas.
Hamer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Neither did TAB, which is also named as a defendant in the suit, court records show.
The lawsuit alleges that Hamer assaulted the woman at least three times, including by attempting to remove her pants and, at one point, trying to “mount” her. The woman was able to get him off her, but “drunk, he cried and pleaded. He chased her, barefoot and in his pajamas, through a hotel.”
Buzbee said that Hamer’s “egregious and inappropriate conduct” took place on two other occasions.
Buzbee said that the woman had previously sought to “establish boundaries” with Hamer, but that he “wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Hammer became bitter that she rejected his repeated advances,” Buzbee said. “She alleges that when she made clear the boundaries that she had set, he retaliated against her. He tried to sabotage her. He tried to sabotage the TVA.”
The Texas Association of Business — or TAB — is among Texas’ most influential business groups, serving as the state’s de facto chamber of commerce and routinely lobbying members of the Legislature on a wide array of business issues. Hamer often appears alongside the state’s top leaders at public functions; just last week, he moderated a “fireside chat” with Gov. Greg Abbott, during which the two discussed Texas’ economic future and TAB gave Abbott an award.
The allegations of sexual misconduct are the latest to rock the Capitol. In 2023, Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, resigned on the eve of a Texas House vote to expel him after an investigation found that he had provided alcohol to a 19-year-old staffer before having sex with her.
Two years before that, a false date rape allegation cast fresh attention on a culture of sexual harassment under the Pink Dome. That culture was well-detailed in numerous media reports during the 2017 legislative session that led to reforms that the state’s elected leaders later acknowledged fell short.
Disclosure: Texas Association of Business has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Source link
