North Carolina District Attorney re-election campaign hit with bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit

The Catawba County District Attorney is in a tight race for re-election but things are not looking good for Jay Gaither’s campaign. Gaither was just hit with a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit by a former employee he supervised. Former Assistant District Attorney Whitney Nicole Shaffer who left the DA’s office in May, filed a complaint in October 2013 that Gaither claims was unfounded by the EEOC which did not offer comment on the case or their investigation. 

Jay Gaither, the Catawba County Republican of the Year, has outright denied that he sexually harassed Shaffer but the text messages he sent to her seem to support Shaffer’s other allegations of sexual assault.

According to Charlotte’s WBTV News,

“During one exchange cited in the lawsuit, Gaither took Shaffer to dinner and made sexual advances to her during dinner. After dinner, he touched her thigh and then took her to his lake home, according to the lawsuit. That’s where Shaffer says Gaither attempted to kiss her and get her to come into his home for a “physical relationship.”

According to the lawsuit, Gaither told Shaffer he was a “very powerful man” and not afraid to use his power “in favor of those who supported him and against those that crossed him or would not support him.”

Shaffer provided screen grabs of the text messages as part of her lawsuit against Gaither which was filed yesterday in the United States District Court for the western district of North Carolina’s Statesville division.