Former chief of staff to California Senator Alvarado-Gil files sexual harassment lawsuit

The former chief of staff of California Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil filed a civil lawsuit alleging that the Republican congresswoman coerced him into performing sexual favors for her, resulting in a serious back injury.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Sacramento Superior Court, Chad Condit alleged that Alvarado-Gil took advantage of her position of power to sexually harass him during his tenure as her chief of staff.

“[Condit] was humiliated and made to feel empty and subordinate to his boss, a California State Senator who had power over his career and livelihood,” the complaint states.

Last month, Alvarado-Gil switched from Democrats to Republicans, saying her former party's two-thirds majority in the legislature was “unrecognizable compared to what I once knew and lacks the will to solve the problems plaguing this state.”

In addition to allegations of sexual harassment, the new Republican is also accused of discrimination, retaliation and violations of California labor law.

In the complaint, Condit alleged that his former boss began creating a hostile work environment immediately after appointing him as her chief of staff in 2022 after successfully supporting her in the state Senate election. Condit met Alvarado-Gil when he ran for California's 22nd congressional district in 2022, which he lost.

Condit claimed Alvarado-Gil pressured him to perform oral sex on her several times during the year he worked for her. Condit, who is married, said in the suit he felt pressured to perform the favors out of fear of losing his job. He claimed Alvarado-Gil enjoyed her dominance over Condit, and on one occasion he claimed the senator asked him to kiss her genitals to “prove his loyalty.”

An incident in which Condit claimed he was pressured to perform oral sex in a car, resulting in a back injury. The filing states that Condit suffered three herniated disks in his back and a broken hip as a result of the incident.

After the incident, Condit claimed in the filing that he rebuffed Alvarado-Gil's advances. In October 2023, he underwent back surgery to treat the injury and was released two months later.

Ognian Gavrilov, Alvarado-Gil's lawyer, called the allegations completely unfounded and absurd.

“We will fight everything, there will never be a settlement in this case,” said Gavrilov. “Either this case will be dismissed without payment, or we will go all the way to court.”