The women at the center of sexual harassment and assault allegations against a former member of Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration, claim an outside investigation overlooked key details, including text messages to and from the mayor.
A $500,000, seven-month independent investigation by Fisher Phillips into the response to harassment complaints against former Hogsett Chief of Staff Thomas Cook found the mayor and his administration did not break any laws or policies at the time.
However, concerns were raised about Cook remaining in his position 68 days after being asked to resign in 2020.
Mark Sniderman, the attorney for the women who made the initial complaints, confirmed the Fisher Phillips report fails to account for multiple text messages sent to and from Hogsett.
Sniderman also claims Hogsett was made aware these complaints included allegations of sexual assault.
“My clients, Lauren Roberts and Caroline Ellert, have for years continually advocated for themselves and others who have been targeted by workplace abuse,” Sniderman said in an email. “Their goal remains the same: To help end these cycles of abuse. Survivors and whistleblowers deserve a safe, compassionate, and protected avenue for reporting workplace abuse.”
Since the report was released, two city-county councilors have called on Hogsett to resign.
Hogsett, when asked by News 8 about the unreported text messages, defended his conduct and said he’s committed to, “make sure our employees feel safe.”
“I acted according to the law and policy in every circumstance when complaints were reported to me,” Hogsett said in an email. “My cooperation was not only unprecedented, but incredibly important to me.”
Along with the texts, Sniderman said Roberts and Ellert provided multiple documents and hours of interviews, which were not represented in the final investigative report.
News 8’s reporting partner, Mirror Indy, discovered Thomas Cook remained a major force in Hogsett’s 2023 re-election campaign, well after his 2020 resignation, directly contradicting Hogsett’s public statements.
This article was written by WISH-TV reporter Tim Spears.