One-time Republican attorney Charlie King of Leesburg also named in lawsuit
Democrat State Del. Dan Helmer of Fairfax County has filed a $15 million defamation lawsuit against a number of ex-Loudoun County Democratic Committee officials, claiming the accusations levied against him on sexual harassment, just days before he faced a 12-way primary for Congress, were politically motivated and knowingly false, the Virginia Mercury reported.
Those accusations against Helmer were released days before the June 18, 2024 Democrat primary for the 10th District congressional seat. Helmer ended up in 2nd place to winner Suhas Subramanyam, who eventually was elected last November, replacing Jennifer Wexton.
The Mercury reported: “His suit names Lissa Savaglio, the former LCDC chair, as the woman referenced in last summer’s allegations.
“Also named in the suit are Avram Fechter, a former LCDC member, lawyer Charles King, who represented Savaglio, and two unnamed defendants listed as John and Jane Doe — all of whom Helmer claims conspired to harm his reputation.”
The Mercury added that the suit claims the LCDC officials published “known falsehoods” about Helmer for a mix of “personal, political and financial motivations.”
“It claims that in early May 2024, Savaglio reached out to Helmer to warn him that a ‘grassroots activist’ had asked her about rumors of sexual misconduct involving the two.” According to the suit, she gave no further details but allegedly admitted the rumors weren’t true, likening them “typical Republican tactics.”
The Mercury adds: “As evidence, the lawsuit includes a screenshot of text messages purportedly between Helmer and Savaglio, as well as an image of Savaglio at a different event on the night of the alleged incident — suggesting that she wasn’t with Helmer when the misconduct allegedly took place.
“The suit also alleges that Fechter, who publicly backed Savaglio’s claims, contributed to a political action committee that funded attack ads against Helmer over the accusations.
“Additionally, it points out that both Fechter and Savaglio had supported a state Senate candidate who could have benefited politically if Helmer’s primary rival, Suhas Subramanyam, had won the congressional seat.”
King, a Leesburg trial lawyer, was a Republican and did legal work for the Loudoun County Republican Committee for many years. He most notably represented former GOP Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio in an ethics suit in 2014 (see photo above). King was the Republican nominee for County Board chairman in 2015, losing to Democrat Phyllis Randall – but he divided the GOP vote with independent incumbent Scott York, who also lost – ending a 20-year career in elected office in Loudoun.
King also represented former Democrat-endorsed School Board member Beth Barts, who resigned in 2022 rather than face a recall election.
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In an unrelated matter, lobbyists in Richmond report that Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell of Fairfax County and freshman Sen. Russet Perry of Loudoun are dating. Both are Democrats and attorneys by profession and have been seen together quite a bit during the current General Assembly session.
Here is a photo of them at a League of Conservation Voters dinner in March 2024 that was on Perry’s X feed. The man in the middle is not identified. https://x.com/RussetPerry/status/1770663280098328870
Perry is 42 and Surovell, 53. It is believed they are both single or separated from their spouses.
