An attorney for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has asked the city council to pay the legal bills for Filner's defense against sexual harassment allegations.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the council will debate the request on Tuesday. From the Times:
Seven of the nine council members have urged Filner to resign. Several have said that the city should not be forced to pay his legal fees because his alleged misconduct was not part of his official duties.
In the past, the city has paid several million dollars in legal fees for city officials in scandals involving illegal campaign contributions and the city's pension deficit.
A total of seven women have come forward and accused Filner of sexual harassment, including his former communications director Irene McCormack Jackson, who filed has a lawsuit against him. In the suit, Jackson alleged “that he routinely grabbed Jackson, dragged her around in a headlock, asked that they have sex and, once, asked her to work without wearing panties,” as the Los Angeles Times reported.
Meanwhile, Filner is facing a recall push by two different groups. Filner had refused to resign, instead saying that he will enter a two-week therapy program and then return to work. The groups are currently working out issues surrounding the city's laws for recall elections.
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