California U.S. Representative Tony Cardenas is denying reports that he drugged and fondled a 16-year-old girl. An attorney for the Panorama City Democrat confirmed on Thursday that Cardenas is the target of allegations stemming from a golf outing in 2007.
Patricia Glaser, an attorney for Cardenas issued a statement on behalf of her client saying, "My client is sickened and distraught by these horrific allegations, which are 100%, categorically untrue."
"We respect victims who have found the strength to come forward and call out misconduct when it has actually occurred, but the type of baseless and reckless allegations that are contained in the complaint against my client can ruin the lives and careers of innocent people," she told the Los Angeles Times.
Glaser says the woman who filed the suit is the daughter of a "disgruntled former employee" who "may be the victim of manipulation."
The lawsuit was filed last week on behalf of an unamed woman and it did not name Cardenas at the time because the allegations involved child sexual abuse.
Attorney Lisa Bloom, who has represented several high-profile cases over the years, is representing the woman identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe.
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