FRANKFORT — Rep. Daniel Grossberg, a Louisville Democrat accused in 2024 of inappropriate behavior toward women, has agreed to pay $2,000 in fines to the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission.
After meeting privately for nearly two hours on Monday, the commission approved an agreed order and issued a public reprimand against Grossberg, stemming from complaints filed by former House Democratic leaders and a Democratic advocate. Grossberg accepted the agreement, and the commission voted to approve it.
Grossberg, who represents the 30th House District, has faced repeated calls from members of his own party to resign since the Lexington Herald-Leader reported allegations of inappropriate conduct in 2024. Several Democratic leaders renewed those calls on Monday afternoon.
Monday was expected to mark the first public hearing on matters involving Grossberg, but the agreement prevented that from taking place.
“I’m relieved that after 18 long months, the ethics commission has taken my side on its finding of facts,” Grossberg told reporters following the meeting. “I feel vindicated that there was no harassment, assault or abuse. At worst, there was one awkward conversation related to legislative policy that may have unintentionally crossed the lines.”
The current legislative code of ethics does not explicitly prohibit sexual harassment by lawmakers, legislative agents or legislative branch employees, an omission the ethics commission has repeatedly urged lawmakers to address.
Three women involved in Kentucky Democratic politics — Lexington Fayette Urban County Council member Emma Curtis, Kentucky Young Democrats President Allison Wiseman, and former Democratic House candidate Sarah Ritter — attended the meeting and planned to testify publicly about their experiences with Grossberg. They had previously shared their allegations with the Herald-Leader.
As Grossberg spoke to reporters after the meeting, the women called out questions to him from across the room, including, “You’re really going to say that with me standing right here?”
Under the agreed order, Grossberg must pay two $1,000 fines related to two of three charges for which the commission had previously found “probable cause” to investigate further.
The first charge involved a discussion between Grossberg and an advocate in his office about “gender transition policy.” According to the order, Grossberg, while drinking alcohol, asked the advocate to describe her personal gender experience. The questions were described as personal in nature, and the advocate alleged they were inappropriate.
“(Grossberg) now recognizes his inappropriate behavior in that situation and is actively engaged in counseling, therapy and skills training to ensure that this behavior is not repeated,” the order states.
The second charge involved allegations that Grossberg referred to his identity or office while making “intimidating statements to a business” as he was leaving the premises. While Grossberg denied wrongdoing, the order notes that he acknowledged there may be sufficient evidence to find a violation of state legislative ethics law.
A third charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. That allegation, filed by former House Democratic leaders Reps. Derrick Graham, Cherlynn Stevenson and Rachel Roberts, claimed Grossberg had offered a potential donor access to a state catering vendor list. The order states that no campaign contribution resulted and that both Grossberg and the business owner denied that any benefit was offered in exchange for a donation.
After the order was approved, Grossberg told the commission that he appreciated reaching an agreement but said, “I wish that it had been many months earlier.”
Commission Chairman David Nicholas responded that the case was “not typical” and involved multiple complaints, some of which did not rise to ethics violations.
“We had a number of complaints — some of which were a violation of the ethics law, some that weren’t,” Nicholas said.
Grossberg and his attorney, Anna Whites, were not present for the entire executive session but briefly entered the meeting room before the commission returned to public session and unanimously approved the order.
After the meeting, Curtis, Wiseman and Ritter said they had hoped to testify publicly. Ritter read a portion of her prepared statement to reporters.
“I did not feel safe refusing him. I did not feel safe leaving. I did not feel safe fully asserting boundaries,” she said. “I’m testifying today because these actions cause lasting, physical and psychological harm, and because no one, especially someone elected to represent their neighbors, should be permitted to behave this way without accountability.”
Last year, the commission held a lengthy closed-door meeting that included testimony from Grossberg, his attorneys, women working in politics, and employees of a Louisville strip club. The commission later found probable cause that ethics violations may have occurred, prompting plans for a public hearing.
Grossberg has been expelled from the House Democratic Caucus and continues to face calls to resign, including from Gov. Andy Beshear. Separate investigations found that a Louisville strip club banned Grossberg for life after he allegedly touched a dancer inappropriately, and the Legislative Research Commission questioned women about inappropriate text messages attributed to him.
Three Democrats are challenging Grossberg in the May primary election: Jefferson County Public Schools teacher Cassie Lyles, former JCPS teacher and political adviser Max Morley, and Mitra Subedi, who narrowly lost to Grossberg in the 2024 primary before the allegations became public.
“I think our caucus and our party as a whole has done a very good job alienating him, and it is my hope that they continue doing so,” Wiseman said.
House Democratic leaders Pamela Stevenson, Lindsey Burke and Joshua Watkins said in a joint statement that a public reprimand reflects conduct that violated ethical standards and renewed their call for Grossberg to resign.
“We recognize that speaking up about inappropriate conduct takes courage. Victims deserve to be heard and taken seriously,” the leaders said. “From the beginning, the House Democratic Caucus was clear that Rep. Grossberg’s conduct violated the standards expected of our members.”
The Legislative Ethics Commission has previously urged lawmakers to formally define and prohibit sexual harassment in the ethics code. Last week, Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong filed Senate Bill 143 to address that issue.
Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Colmon Elridge also called for Grossberg to step down, saying he is “unfit to serve and he should resign immediately.”
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