Lawsuit: N.C. House Speaker used position for sexual relationship with state employee

RALEIGH, N.C. (WBTV) – A new lawsuit alleges N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore used his position to begin and maintain a sexual relationship with a state employee.

The lawsuit was electronically filed Sunday night in Wake County Superior Court.

According to the complaint, Moore has had an extramarital affair with the executive director of the N.C. Conference of Clerks of Superior Court, Jamie Liles Lassiter, since 2019.

The lawsuit was filed by Lassiter’s estranged husband, Scott Lassiter.

READ FULL COMPLAINT HERE

“Defendant Tim Moore’s intentional conduct with Mrs. Lassiter revealed a perverse form of symbiosis in which he persuaded her to engage in degrading acts to satisfy his desires, recognizing that Mrs. Lassiter hoped her acquiescence to his demands would result in Defendant Tim Moore supporting favorable action for the organization she represents,” the lawsuit reads in its opening paragraph.

The complaint alleges Jamie Lassiter told her then-husband that she could not end her relationship with Moore for fear of retaliation.

“Mrs. Lassiter implored Plaintiff to allow her to continue the relationship so her job, an at-will position that is statutorily created and directly funded by the North Carolina General Assembly, and the interests of the NC Conference of Clerks would not be adversely affected by Defendant Tim Moore’s anticipated displeasure over a potential breakup. Mrs. Lassiter begged Plaintiff to understand that she had ‘gotten [herself] into something [she] couldn’t get out of,’ referring to her relationship with Defendant Tim Moore,” the lawsuit said.

In addition, the lawsuit accuses Moore of engaging in sexual activities with others in exchange for political favors.

The lawsuit said Scott Lassiter and Moore met the day after Christmas 2022 to discuss the affair. During the meeting, according to the lawsuit, Moore asked what he could do to resolve the problem.

“Defendant Tim Moore asked Plaintiff ‘on a completely unrelated note’ if there was anything he could do for Plaintiff, implying that he could use the power he held as Speaker in some way to benefit Plaintiff. Plaintiff angrily told Defendant Tim Moore that he did not want any political favors,” the lawsuit said.

A lawyer for Moore, Stacy Miller, issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit:

“I look forward to meeting Mr. Lassiter in the courtroom. We are confident the Speaker will be vindicated.”

Jamie Lassiter, through an attorney, issued a statement disputing the lawsuit’s allegations and calling them “outrageously defamatory.”

“The claims are not only false but impossible as we’ve been separated with a signed separation document for years,” her statement said.

The statement went on to say, without elaboration, that Scott Lassiter had been the one to hurt her career.

“Our marriage was a nightmare, and since I left him it has gotten worse,” her statement continued. “We are reaching the end of our divorce process and this is how he’s lashing out. I plead with you to respect my privacy and don’t give this unhinged man a platform to harass and humiliate me further.”

An attorney for Scott Lassiter issued a comment referring back to the lawsuit.

“The complaint speaks for itself,” Scott Lassiter’s attorney, Alicia Journey, said. “There is irrefutable evidence to support Mr. Lassiter’s claims.”

RELATED: Exclusive: Moore breaks silence, responds to lawsuit allegations

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