Outside lawyer finds no merit to harassment claims against top GA Dem
Allegations against Beverly "cannot be substantiated," review determines
An outside lawyer has concluded an investigation into harassment claims against a top Georgia Democrat, determining that the allegations “cannot be substantiated.”
Democrats in the state House had hired attorney Cheryl Treadwall, who is also a Fulton County magistrate court judge, to investigate claims against Minority Leader James Beverly. One of the complaints came from a female staffer who alleged that Beverly had been making inappropriate comments and advances towards her over the last year.
Treadwall’s final report, first obtained Monday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, details one instance where Beverly was expressing what he called “nostalgic sentiment” toward the unnamed staffer, who was pregnant at the time.
She said Beverly told her during that encounter: “In another life, that baby would have been mine.” She immediately reported the comment to a colleague and described it “expressly as sexual harassment,” according to the review, which wasn’t shared with rank-and-file House Democrats.
- AJC, June 10, 2024
The report goes on to say that this one instance, “as alleged by the complainant, is not sufficiently severe or pervasive to constitute sexual harassment.” Other encounters were also reviewed.
But the allegations against Beverly, an optometrist from Macon who had previously announced his plans to step down at the end of this year, have distracted a Democratic caucus aiming to make a dent in the Republican majority in the upcoming election.
State Rep. Shea Roberts abruptly stepped down as caucus treasurer shortly before the May primary, with the Sandy Springs Democrat telling colleagues that she has been “distracted from that objective by leadership issues that remain unresolved despite my best efforts.” Roberts did not respond to a text Tuesday morning seeking comment.
Beverly, meanwhile, is praising the conclusion of an investigation into “false and unwarranted accusations.”