S. Vance Wilkins was the Republican Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. In 2002, he paid $100,000 to settle a sexual harassment suit brought by a woman who said he made unwelcome sexual advances to her. She claimed he groped her and pinned her against a desk. She worked for the construction company where Wilkins had his offices. He used to own the company but kept his office there after he sold it.
Several other women came forward after the claim became public. From the New York Times, he defended himself by claiming he was merely the victim of changing mores.
”I don’t blame anyone for my troubles,” he said. ”Most of them I brought upon myself. But times have changed and the rules have changed and what was accepted in the era in which I was raised is strictly off limits today. I didn’t change with the times, and if I have offended anyone I am truly sorry and I apologize.”
New York Times
June 14, 2002
He resigned from the Speakership after his party demanded it. A while later, he resigned. He tried a comeback in 2014, but failed.
- Washington Post: VA Speaker Settles Sex Complaint
- The New York Times: Speaker Quits Virginia Post After Claims of Groping
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond, Virginia · Friday, June 14, 2002