Harassment Suit Against Governor Adds Charge

A woman who sued Gov. Paul E. Patton for alleged sexual harassment amended her lawsuit to also allege he defamed her by initially lying about their relationship.

Attorneys for the governor filed requests in Frankfort to dismiss parts of Tina Conner’s suit, arguing she cannot sue for retaliation and harassment because she has never been a state employee.

The amended complaint said Patton’s denials had the effect of “degrading, defaming and belittling” Conner.

She sued the governor and the state Sept. 18, alleging she and Patton had a two-year affair beginning in 1997. She alleged that she got preferential treatment for businesses she operated while the affair went on, but that she was treated harshly by state inspectors after she ended the relationship.