BOISE, Idaho — A former Idaho legislative intern is suing a lawmaker who was convicted of raping her and one in all his colleagues for publicly releasing the teenager’s id and launching a marketing campaign of harassment towards her.

The younger girl, who makes use of the pseudonym “Jane Doe” within the federal lawsuit, was simply 19 when she reported that then-Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger raped her at his residence after the 2 had dinner at a Boise restaurant in March 2021. The Related Press usually doesn’t determine individuals who say they’ve been sexually assaulted.

Within the lawsuit, Doe says von Ehlinger after which Rep. Priscilla Giddings, each Republicans, retaliated by publicly releasing her identify, encouraging media shops to publicize it, and mendacity about her. She is looking for unspecified financial damages, in line with her lawsuit.

“Due to the discharge of Ms. Doe’s id, Ms. Doe has regularly suffered public humiliation and harassment on social media and at public occasions,” Doe’s attorneys, Erika Birch and Man Hallam, wrote within the lawsuit.

Giddings didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. It isn’t clear if von Ehlinger has an lawyer to signify him within the lawsuit; his legal public defender didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Since 2017, at the least 120 state lawmakers in 41 states have confronted public allegations of sexual misconduct or harassment, in line with an Related Press tally. Of these, 48 have resigned or been expelled, together with a Pennsylvania lawmaker accused of sexual harassment who submitted his resignation this week. Of the others who’ve been publicly accused, 45 have confronted some type of repercussion such because the lack of a committee chair or occasion management place. A lot of the allegations had been introduced forth after the #MeToo motion sparked a public reckoning for folks in energy accused of sexual wrongdoing.

Within the Idaho case, Doe contends Giddings and von Ehlinger conspired to violate her rights, invade her privateness and inflict emotional misery towards her. The lawsuit additionally contains defamation claims towards Giddings, who stated disparaging issues about Doe, in addition to claims of assault and battery towards von Ehlingher.

The efforts by Giddings and von Ehlinger brought about accidents together with “excessive and ongoing emotional misery,” Doe’s attorneys wrote within the lawsuit.

A few of von Ehlinger’s supporters have continued to disparage Doe on social media and at public occasions in latest months. One man has repeatedly attended public and political occasions wearing drag as a magnificence queen as a option to mock Doe, sporting a sash bearing the younger girl’s actual identify and the phrase “Miss Idaho Capitol.”

The investigation into von Ehlinger started March 11, 2021, after Doe reported the assault to her supervisor on the Idaho Statehouse and to Boise police. Her report triggered an ethics investigation into von Ehlinger, who resigned earlier than the complete Home might vote on whether or not to take away him from workplace. It additionally triggered a legal investigation and in 2022 von Ehlinger was convicted of rape and sentenced to as much as 20 years in jail, although he may very well be eligible for parole as quickly as 2030. In the course of the investigation and trial, von Ehlinger maintained he and Doe had consensual sexual contact.

Giddings was additionally censured by the Legislature’s ethics committee after her actions within the wake of Doe’s rape report got here to mild. She served out the rest of her time period and ran for lieutenant governor, shedding within the 2022 Republican main.

On April 16, 2021, Von Ehlinger and his lawyer David Leroy had been requested to maintain Doe’s identify secret by Doe’s attorneys and by the ethics committee, in line with the lawsuit. Giddings, who apparently helped von Ehlinger craft a information launch in regards to the ethics investigation, additionally spoke with each Leroy and von Ehlinger that day, in line with the lawsuit.

Simply after 3 p.m. that day, von Ehlinger despatched a number of journalists a replica of von Ehlinger’s formal response to the ethics investigation with out redacting Doe’s identify. Giddings then reached out to 1 newspaper reporter to see if he deliberate to put in writing in regards to the assertion.

Earlier than the top of the enterprise day, a far-right information web site revealed a publish with Doe’s actual identify, a photograph of her as a youthful teen and private particulars about her life. Giddings then posted a hyperlink to the publish on her Fb account, together with the picture of Doe as a minor. Giddings publicized the knowledge once more the next day, sending it out as a part of a “Legislative Replace” e-mail to her constituents, referring to Doe utilizing a derogatory time period.

One other far-right web site additionally revealed Doe’s identify by printing an image of the unredacted response that had been despatched out by von Ehlinger’s lawyer.

Doe is asking a decide to award her financial damages in an unspecified quantity, in addition to curiosity, lawyer’s charges and different courtroom prices.

Neither Giddings nor von Ehlinger have filed a response to the lawsuit.