FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear has called for Louisville Rep. Daniel Grossberg to resign following numerous women accusing the freshman legislator of sexual harassment.
"We stand united, together, believing this is the right thing to do and I hope he hears it and I hope he follows it," he said.
Beshear said impeachment or the next election cycle would be the only ways to remove Grossberg if he does not resign. Anna Whites, Grossberg's lawyer, told WHAS11 on Friday he will not resign.
Grossberg represents a district just outside the Watterson Expressway which includes Poplar Hills, Watterson Park and West Buechel.
"I've previously said I think he should seriously consider whether he should be a state representative," Beshear said. "I just want to be clear and unequivocal, this conduct is wrong."
The governor said no one should face harassment in their workplace, the Capitol or anywhere in Kentucky.
Top members of the Kentucky Young Democrats spoke out Friday, saying they were two of Grossberg's accusers.
Vice President Emma Curtis says Grossberg left her "feeling unsafe" both in terms of her physical safety and her career.
In July 2023, Curtis said Grossberg pressured her to drink alcohol despite Curtis insisting on sobriety.
"He then asked me invasive and inappropriate questions about my genitals, my sex life, that entirely inappropriate in any professional setting," the Lexington Democrat said.
Whites, speaking for Grossberg, said his statements have been taken out of context.
Grossberg has also been banned from a Louisville adult club, named Foxys, and faces more accusations from workers at the club for "manhandling" the women there. A bar manager confirmed the allegations to WHAS11 after they were first reported in the Lexington Herald-Leader. The report also claims Grossberg tried soliciting a dancer for sex in exchange for $5,000.
Explaining Grossberg's behavior, Whites said he "did not recognize" making anyone "uncomfortable," and that he apologized and is seeking counseling from his rabbi.
Curtis said the lawmakers has not apologized to her. if the apology ever came.
"Grossberg has never apologized to me. And honestly, I don't want an apology. I want accountability," she said.
Both Curtis and Whites called for a better reporting process in the state legislature concerning sexual assault and harassment. Beshear said the situation may show the need for a stronger code of ethics and a stronger enforcement of the code.
"With regard to calls for his resignation, my client believes that they are premature and should be placed on hold until all evidence had been reviewed in a transparent public hearing," Whites wrote in a statement.
"When it appears that a state representative is engaging in that kind of conduct, we just have to speak in one clear voice that is absolutely unacceptable," Beshear said. He said each story about Grossberg's alleged harassment has crossed the line and the representative should resign.
KDP Chair Colmon Elridge released the following statement on Representative Daniel Grossberg:
“Every individual deserves to be held accountable for their own actions — particularly those who represent Kentuckians in the halls of our Capitol. Representative Grossberg has repeatedly proven that he is unfit to serve and must resign from office.”
According to a statement from Kentucky House Democratic Caucus Leaders, Grossberg was temporarily suspended from the caucus in July and a confidential ethics complaint was filed against him.
There is still no update on what the investigation into that ethics complaint found about Grossberg's actions.
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