An Alabama attorney and former state senator face accusations of sexually assaulting an incarcerated woman and pressuring her to become his “sex slave,” as per a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
The lawsuit accuses Douglass “Doug” Ghee of a range of offenses including sexual assault, battery, extortion, emotional distress, false imprisonment, and wantonness. Ghee’s law firm, Ghee, Draper, and Alexander, are also implicated in the complaint.
Allegedly, Ghee, 78, met with a 29-year-old woman in July at the Calhoun County Jail where she was detained, acting as her public defender. During their encounter, Ghee purportedly offered to leverage his connections with the judge and assistant district attorney on her case for a favorable outcome, on the condition that she consented to being his “sex slave” and paying him $2,500.
The meeting occurred in a designated attorney-client meeting room, where the woman was restrained with handcuffs and shackles. A corrections officer was monitoring the interaction through a live video feed.
Following the initial meeting, Ghee allegedly transferred $30 to the woman’s jail account, according to the lawsuit.
Days later, another meeting in the same room took place, during which Ghee is accused of groping and forcibly kissing the woman. An intervening corrections officer promptly removed the woman from the room.
As per Alabama law, individuals incarcerated in jails cannot legally provide consent for sexual activity while in custody.
In July, subsequent to the reported sexual assault, a presiding judge in the Seventh Circuit barred Ghee from representing indigent clients in two eastern state districts. Additionally, four judges recused themselves from Ghee’s cases, including the one overseeing the incarcerated woman’s bond hearing.
The woman’s legal representatives asserted that due to her detention, she is unable to initiate a criminal case against Ghee until a new judge is assigned, and she can secure bond.
An attorney for the woman, Anthony Coleman, stated, “Further detainment just delays justice and extends the mental abuses in this case,” emphasizing the urgency of addressing the matter without undue delay.
Sheriff Matthew Wade of Calhoun County confirmed an ongoing investigation into the allegations, as reported by WBRC-TV.
Ghee, a prominent figure in the legal sphere and a former state senator from 1990 to 1998, refrained from providing any comments when contacted by The Associated Press.
It is noted that The AP typically refrains from disclosing the identities of individuals alleging sexual assault unless they consent to being named.
