- “I’m dropping all my lawsuits,” Carlton Huffman, 40, said Tuesday.
- He said his claims were the result of a “complete misunderstanding.”
- Matt Schlapp, 56, said his family had been subjected to a “relentless war”
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The Republican operative who accused prominent conservative leader Matt Schlapp of sexual assault has dropped his lawsuits against him and his wife.
“I’m suspending all my lawsuits,” said Carlton Huffman, 40, who accused the leader of the American Conservative Union of groping him in 2022, when he worked for Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign.
“The claims made in my lawsuits were the result of a complete misunderstanding and I regret that the lawsuit has caused the Schlapp family pain.”
In her lawsuit, she alleged that Schlapp was “aggressively fondling” her groin while the two were driving from a restaurant to a hotel.
He demanded $9.4 million for a charge of sexual assault and defamation against Schlapp and his wife Mercedes.
“Our family was attacked by a left-wing media that focuses on the destruction of conservatives regardless of the truth and facts,” said conservative leader Matt Schlapp, seen here in a photo with his wife Mercedes.
“I’m suspending all my lawsuits,” said Carlton Huffman, 40, who accused the leader of the American Conservative Union of groping him in 2022, when he worked for Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign.
Schlapp, 56, said his family had been victims of a “relentless war” waged by political opponents.
“Our family was attacked by a left-wing media that focuses on the destruction of conservatives regardless of the truth and facts,” he said.
“But we came out of this terrible experience stronger as husband and wife, stronger as parents to our five daughters, stronger as friends to those who supported us.”
Huffman also dropped a case against Caroline Wren, Schlapp’s adviser.
He initially filed the lawsuit anonymously as ‘John Doe,’ citing his status as an alleged victim of sexual assault.
It described how Schlapp was in Georgia toward the end of the 2022 election campaign to lend his support to former football star Walker, who ultimately lost the runoff election to Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
He alleged that Schlapp invited campaign staff out for drinks after Huffman drove him back to Atlanta after an event.
At a local bar, Schlapp “sat unusually close” to the accuser, “such that his leg repeatedly contacted and was in almost constant contact with Mr. Doe’s leg,” the filing says.
Huffman worked for Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign in Georgia. Lost in a second round
Huffman placing Walker signs outside an event in Kennesaw, Georgia
The employee then took him back to his hotel. During the ride, Schlapp allegedly put his hand on Huffman’s leg leaving him “frozen with shock, mortification and fear at what was happening, particularly given Mr. Schlapp’s power and status in conservative social circles.”
The Conservative Political Action Conference welcomed the decision to drop the case.
“The board of directors strongly supports Matt Schlapp as the leader of this organization,” he said.
“The left-wing media, of course, did not wait for the facts to come to light and instead launched a smear campaign to destroy CPAC, Matt and his family.”