Top aide to Sen. Kamala Harris resigns over harassment settlement

Reporting from Sacramento —  A top aide to California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris resigned Wednesday over revelations he was involved in a harassment lawsuit and $400,000 settlement while working for the state Department of Justice.

Larry Wallace, a senior advisor in Harris’ Sacramento office, resigned after the Sacramento Bee inquired about the 2017 settlement, the newspaper reported.

“We were unaware of this issue and take accusations of harassment extremely seriously,” Harris spokeswoman Lily Adams said. “This evening, Mr. Wallace offered his resignation to the senator, and she accepted it.”

In response to a follow-up question, Adams said the office had been unaware of the complaint, settlement and lawsuit.

Harris was elected California’s attorney general in 2010 and served until early 2017, when she entered the U.S. Senate. The lawsuit was filed in December 2016 and the settlement was finalized in May 2017.

Wallace was director of the Division of Law Enforcement in the California Department of Justice. Before that, he worked for Harris when she was San Francisco district attorney.

Harris, a potential 2020 Democratic presidential contender, has been a strong supporter of the #MeToo movement. In June she introduced legislation to curb workplace harassment.

The lawsuit by Danielle Hartley alleges Wallace harassed and demeaned her based on her gender while she was working for him, according to the Bee. Hartley says Wallace placed his computer printer under his desk and routinely asked Hartley to crawl under to refill it with paper, while he was sitting there and sometimes with other men in the room. He also asked Hartley to do personal tasks not related to work.

Hartley began as Wallace’s assistant in 2011. She reported the harassment to her supervisor and felt she suffered retaliation, according to the lawsuit. She was transferred to another state Department of Justice office by the end of 2014.

Wallace did not comment to the newspaper.

The department denied the claims in Hartley’s lawsuit. Harris’ successor, current state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, said Hartley failed to utilize training and procedures to deal with harassment in an answer to the lawsuit.

Hartley is barred from discussing the settlement amount as part of the settlement and agreed not to apply for jobs with the Justice Department. She did not comment to the Bee.