By 2UrbanGirls
Contributing Writer
INGLEWOOD — A second accuser of Mayor James Butts Jr. has demanded a lawsuit filed on her behalf be immediately withdrawn.
The woman, identified only as “Jane Doe,” said she is “deeply disturbed with the lies and embellishments” that were submitted on her behalf.
“I had no idea this lawsuit was filed until you contacted me and alerted me about a press release you received saying that it was filed,” Doe told a reporter by phone. “After reading the article, I immediately terminated all agreements with Carl Douglas and Maryann Gallagher.”
“I was also not aware they submitted documents on Oct. 1 to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing,” Doe added.
Her claim, filed with the city, stated that in early 2020 she approached Mayor Butts for a job at City Hall, which she was immediately offered. During their meeting, held in the ninth floor conference room, she said Butts used his “command presence, title and authoritative power” to force her into unwanted sexual encounters. She was then offered a city position, with a five-figure salary along with additional work as his consultant.
Upon taking the job, and performing in the capacity of his consultant, she mentioned an article she read on an “Inglewood blog”, which she describes as a “negative headline” about him being sexually involved with multiple women inside City Hall. The following month, her city employment was terminated, but Butts continued to employ her as his consultant.
She claims the “unwanted” sexual harassment and assault occurred after hours at both Mayor Butts’ City Hall office and his home.
“I was only presented with a claim that had five pages, not the 40 that were submitted to the city,” Doe said. “Once I read it, I saw lies and embellishments and demanded [her attorneys] correct it and they didn’t. Those same lies appeared in the lawsuit.”
Neither Douglas nor Gallagher have responded to multiple requests for comment.
Doe said she sent out multiple emails to Douglas, Gallagher, Mayor Butts, his attorneys, and a reporter demanding the lawsuit be withdrawn.
“Mayor Butts was NEVER violent with me and he did NOT lure me to City Hall,” Doe wrote in the emails. “I have no idea where you came up with these narratives.”
The city has responded through attorney Mira Hashmall that it plans to explore legal channels to address what was described as “malicious prosecution.”
“From the beginning, we knew the allegations attributed to Jane Doe against Mayor Butts and the city of Inglewood were false,” Hashmall said. “What we did not know until recently is that Jane Doe told her attorneys the allegations in the March 2021 claim for damages were false, and they nevertheless proceeded to file additional complaints with those same false allegations.
“The City Council takes this attempt to extort taxpayers’ funds very seriously and will determine what its legal response will be to hold Carl Douglas and Maryann Gallagher accountable for their actions.”
One of Doe’s attorneys, Maryann P. Gallagher, filed a request for dismissal of the lawsuit dated Oct. 22 “without prejudice,” meaning the case can be brought again later.
