A sexual harassment allegation that derailed a high-profile Virginia Democrat’s congressional campaign has now led to two settlements in the defamation lawsuit he filed after losing the race.
Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer, who ran for Congress in Virginia’s 10th District last year, announced that he reached confidential settlements with two of the three people he accused of spreading false sexual harassment allegations.
“The matter was settled to the satisfaction of the Parties, and the terms are confidential,” Helmer said in a press release.
The statement confirmed that Avram Fechter and attorney Charles King had settled with Helmer, while his lawsuit against Lissa Savaglio — the woman Helmer says fabricated the sexual harassment claims — remains ongoing. Helmer described the developments as “an important step in finally closing the dark chapter for Delegate Helmer.”
Allegations Rocked the Race in the Final Days
Just weeks before the Democrat primary last June, Helmer was leading in several polls and appeared poised to win the nomination in the heavily Democratic district. But in the final stretch, that changed dramatically.
A media report surfaced alleging that members of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee were accusing Helmer of sexual harassment — claims that would quickly upend his campaign.
Days later, attorney Charles King, representing the alleged victim, issued a statement accusing Helmer of groping his client.
“After a political event in 2018, Mr. Helmer groped my client’s breast,” King wrote. “In later conversations with others, Helmer sexually described the woman’s physique and talked about different sexual positions he wanted to try with her and other women.”
Helmer denied the claims, calling them false and politically motivated. Despite that, the allegations dominated headlines, and Helmer went on to lose the primary to Suhas Subramanyam by just four percentage points.
Helmer Fights Back with Defamation Lawsuit
Following the election, Helmer filed a $15 million defamation lawsuit in Fairfax County Circuit Court against King, Fechter, and Savaglio.
The suit alleged a coordinated smear campaign by Loudoun County Democrats and political opponents to destroy his campaign with claims they knew were false. Helmer’s filing states that photographs from the night in question proved he and Savaglio did not even attend the same event, and that Savaglio later told him he had “never acted inappropriately toward her.”
“Because of a mix of personal, political, and financial motivations, Savaglio intentionally published known falsehoods to harm [me],” the lawsuit reads.
Legal Expert: Settlements Signal “Real Evidence” Behind Helmer’s Case
While Democrats largely avoided public comment on the matter, one Virginia attorney told Fox News Digital that the settlements may signal Helmer had compelling evidence on his side.
“They must have had enough black and white to force them to the table and force them to settle and that’s pretty remarkable,” attorney Jeffrey Breit said. “It’s unusual to see that in political cases.”
Breit emphasized how difficult it is to prevail in a defamation suit, especially in Virginia, where the legal bar is high.
“What makes it interesting in this case is defamation cases are very very hard to win nationwide and in Virginia because of so much you have to show for intent, truth, lots of issues that you have to do in a defamation case which makes them very, very hard,” Breit said. “And so the fact that he could file a suit having lost because of what was said and force these people, one to the table, and two to settle, to me shows they had real evidence that this was false.”
Political Fallout and a Broader Lesson
While Helmer’s settlements may mark a legal victory, the political damage was already done — his campaign was sunk by allegations that never reached a courtroom. The case underscores how last-minute accusations can shift the trajectory of a campaign, especially in an era when unverified claims can spread rapidly among party insiders and the media.
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