GOP Strategist Drops Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against CPAC Head Matt Schlapp
‘The claims made in my lawsuits were the result of a complete misunderstanding,’ the accuser said, though he previously claimed Mr. Schlapp had groped him and tried to ‘take his dignity.’
A sexual assault lawsuit has been dropped against the chairman of one of the top conservative advocacy groups, the American Conservative Union.
Carlton Huffman, age 40, had been seeking $9 million in damages after accusing Matt Schlapp of groping and fondling him while he was working Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign in 2022.
“I am discontinuing all of my lawsuits. The claims made in my lawsuits were the result of a complete misunderstanding, and I regret that the lawsuit caused pain to the Schlapp family,” Mr. Huffman said on Tuesday. “The Schlapps have advised that the statements made about me were the result of a misunderstanding, which was regrettable.”
He added that the Schlapp family and the American Conservative Union — which organizes the annual Conservative Political Action Conference — had not paid him to dismiss the claims.
Mr. Huffman originally tried to file the lawsuit anonymously but a judge ruled last year that he must use his name.
“On Oct 19, 2022, Matt Schlapp attempted to take my dignity but he did not take my voice,” Mr. Huffman told CNN last year. “Today, I reclaim that voice and for every victim of sexual assault, I am here to say there is justice and there will be accountability. I look forward to our day in court.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Schlapp responded by criticizing the press and emphasized that he has maintained his innocence all along.
“Our family was attacked, especially by a left-wing media that is focused on the destruction of conservatives regardless of the truth and the facts,” Mr. Schlapp said. “But we emerge from this ordeal stronger as husband and wife, stronger as parents to our five daughters, stronger as friends to those who stood by us.”
