Judicial Watch Sues Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax for Documents on Rape Allegations

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax and his office for documents about rape allegations against Fairfax (Judicial Watch et al. v. Justin E. Fairfax et al. (No. 2019 11833)).  Judicial Watch sought the records in June 2019 but the Lt. Governor’s office refused to release records, describing them as “working papers” and “personnel records” exempt from disclosure.

In February 2019, two women accused Lt. Governor Fairfax of sexual assault and rape. Dr. Vanessa C. Tyson, a professor at Scripps College, accused Fairfax of sexually assaulted her at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston and Meredith Watson accused Fairfax of raping her while attending Duke University with him in 2000.

After the women came forward, Fairfax’s policy director Adele McClure resigned and Fairfax himself stepped down from his position at the international law firm Morrison & Foerster LLP.

“It speaks volumes that Lt. Governor Fairfax refuses to produce not one document about his handling of the rape allegations against him,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

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