The National Restaurant Association on Friday confirmed that it granted a financial settlement to a woman after she filed a sexual harassment complaint against Herman Cain in 1999.
The trade group also freed her from her confidentiality agreement, although her attorney said she doesn’t intend to speak publicly on the matter. “Notwithstanding the Association’s ongoing policy of maintaining the privacy of all personnel matters, we have advised [her attorney] that we are willing to waive the confidentiality of this matter and permit [Joel] Bennett’s client to comment,” Dawn Sweeney, president of the National Restaurant Association, said Friday in a news release.
Bennett, the attorney for the woman, on Thursday submitted a request to release her from the agreement.
The association announced its decision just as Bennett was telling reporters that the complaint against Cain involved “more than one incident” that, in the woman’s opinion, qualified as sexual harassment.
“My client stands by the complaint that she made,” he said.
Bennett declined to give additional details about the nature of the incidents, citing the woman’s desire to stay out of the spotlight.
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“Based upon the information currently available, we can confirm that more than a decade ago, in July 1999, Mr. Bennett’s client filed a formal internal complaint, in accordance with the Association’s existing policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment. Mr. Herman Cain disputed the allegations in the complaint. The Association and Mr. Bennett’s client subsequently entered into an agreement to resolve the matter, without any admission of liability. Mr. Cain was not a party to that agreement.”