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A county commissioner in Olympia, Washington has been accused of sexually harassing an underling and pressuring him into dating her — then making him run her errands, buy her things and loan her money, according to a lawsuit.
Allyn Hershey is now demanding $750,000 after his relationship with Thurston County Commissioner Emily Clouse ended bitterly.
Clouse, 30, fired Hersey just 30 minutes after he reported the relationship and alleged sexual harassment to county authorities on July 29, he alleges, according to the Olympian.
While Clouse — a Democrat who was elected in 2023 — was suspended from some of her duties this past August, a report from an outside investigator hired by the county found she likely did not sexually harass or retaliate against her former aide.
The report claims that Clouse hired Hershey on April 24, 2024, and the two engaged in a “consensual romantic/sexual relationship” sometime between April and June 1. Hershey, however, disagreed with the conclusion.
“A lot of this was unwelcome, but I felt pressured into doing so because my entire job was to keep Emily [Clouse] happy,” he told the outlet.
Part of Hershey’s job, according to the report, involved driving Clouse around, painting a room in her house and running her errands, according to the outlet.
According to the report, the pair kissed for the first time at a political event on March 29, weeks before Hershey got a formal job offer from Clouse.
Clouse allegedly continued to ask Hershey to go on dates and stay at her house past June 1 after the relationship had soured, Hershey told the outlet.
By late July, Hershey had texted Clouse that he might quit and she replied that his quitting was one of her biggest fears, according to the report.
The two had several contentious disagreements over the following days, and by July 29, Hershey contacted the county’s Human Resources department over fears Clouse was going to fire him in retaliation.
While on the phone with HR, Hershey explained their recent disagreements and accused Clouse of borrowing $1,500 from him and sending him suggestive photos.
When asked by HR to share her side of the events, Clouse did not disclose her previous romantic/sexual relationship with her aide, according to the report.
About 30 minutes later, Hershey was terminated from his post. Immediately after, County Manager Leonard Hernandez asked him how many months of paid leave with benefits would it take for him to not go public with his accusations, Hershey alleged.
The two agreed he would take nine months’ leave, however, on July 30, Hernandez brought the matter to the Board of County Commissioners, who decided to hire an outside investigator.
Hershey criticized the report, which found Clouse likely acted against the best interests of the county by hiding her romantic relationship with her subordinate.
“I feel like the public deserves to know the true reality of this investigation and the things that they’re leaving out,” Hershey told the outlet.
Hershey’s attorneys filed a damaging new lawsuit on Nov. 27, two months after submitting a lawsuit requesting $750,000 in damages.
Meanwhile, Clouse’s attorney Maia Robbins said the accusations were “ridiculous” and maintained Clouse never sexually harassed or retaliated against Hershey.
“It’s a witch hunt to poke into other aspects of her private life and put them on display in an effort to keep her silenced,” Robbins said.
The investigator also probed an allegation Clouse made against Hershey claiming he sexually assaulted her on at least three occasions – a claim Hershey called completely false.
“I just find it weirdly convenient that the week that I meet with HR and the county manager to report sexual harassment and retaliation is the week she decided to bring up that I sexually assaulted her in executive session,” Hershey told the Olympian.
The report does not say whether the allegations were determined to be false, but in court documents attorneys for Hershey said Clouse retracted the complaint during the investigation.
Hershey told the newspaper he chose to speak out after learning about “blatant inconsistencies and lies” in the report, and said the public deserved to know the truth.
“I don’t think that anyone who is publicly going around lying about sexual assault should represent our county in any capacity, let alone any boards or commissions,” Hershey said.
“I hope the public looks at the truth of who Emily [Clouse] is as a human being, rather than just her policies, and makes a decision for themselves on whether or not she deserves to be in office.”
