Nicholas Emmons filed the lawsuit Monday in Henrico Circuit Court, just two weeks before the election. He worked for the county as an assistant Commonwealth’s attorney from 2022 until he was terminated earlier this month.

In his complaint, Emmons claims he went to Taylor — his boss — after another prosecutor, with whom he says he had a previous romantic relationship, made unwanted advances and physical contact at work, in addition to threatening to get him fired.

According to the suit, Emmons says that when he reported this to Taylor, he was “effectively victim blamed” for reporting alleged sexual assault and harassment.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for Taylor referred to the lawsuit a smear campaign.

“After nearly 20 years in Washington, Congressman Rob Wittman and his allies are so desperate to cling onto power that they are engaging in the kind of gutter politics that Virginians hate,” the spokesperson said in a statement emailed to reporters. “It stinks to high heaven that a law firm led by a former GOP elected official who has endorsed and campaigned for Wittman is now targeting Shannon. This is just another desperate attempt to smear Shannon – who is endorsed by more than a dozen Virginia sheriffs – because Wittman can’t defend his own