Damn.
Still a crook any way you look
Two of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s top deputies were forced to resign in 2023 over allegations of harassment, according to court filings included in a lawsuit Tuesday.
Judd Stone, the former solicitor general, and Chris Hilton, an assistant attorney general, were sued in federal court by Jordan Eskew, another former employee of the attorney general’s office. Eskew alleges that she was subjected to sexual harassment by Stone, and that Hilton verbally berated her and took no action to protect her from Stone’s inappropriate comments. The harassment took place, she said, while the three were on leave from the state agency to work on Paxton’s defense team during his 2023 impeachment trial.
“State law requires that the OAG and managers immediately take action to stop sexual harassment,” First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster wrote to another agency employee in December 2024, in an email that was included in the lawsuit. “Judd and Chris would be notified that they would be terminated if they did not resign.”
Stone and Hilton, through a spokesperson, said they left the attorney general’s office voluntarily because Webster was a “petty tyrant.”
“Brent Webster has a personal vendetta against Mr. Hilton and Mr. Stone,” said a spokesperson for their law firm, Stone Hilton. “This lawsuit is his creation and a complete fabrication.
The attorney general’s office in 2023 confirmed their exits, but did not give reason for their resignations.
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After Paxton was acquitted by the Senate in September 2023, Stone, Hilton, Eskew and other employees who took leave to defend him returned to the attorney general’s office.
According to Webster’s email, which Eskew’s lawyer included in the complaint, two women who worked with Stone and Hilton during the impeachment in October separately reported “credible complaints of sexual misconduct.”
I skipped the details that were given of the allegations because they’re rough; click carefully on the story for that. Texas Lawyer has some details that are a bit less rough.
Eskew worked for Stone Hilton as an executive assistant during Paxton’s impeachment trial. After returning to the Texas Attorney General’s Office in 2023, Eskew reported alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct by Stone and Hilton to Brent Webster, the first assistant to Texas Attorney General Paxton. In her lawsuit, she alleges this report led to both Stone’s and Hilton’s resignation.
Prior to working for Stone Hilton, Eskew had worked with attorneys Hilton and Stone at the Attorney General’s office. At that time, Hilton was the chief of the General Litigation Division and Stone was the Solicitor General. They all left the AG’s office to work at Stone Hilton, a newly created firm focused on helping Paxton during his impeachment trial.
[…]
Eskew claims she was subjected to sexual harassment and inappropriate comments by Stone, with Hilton failing to intervene. She also alleges that Stone and Hilton engaged in extreme and outrageous conduct, including verbal abuse, harassment and inappropriate comments, resulting in a toxic workplace culture and causing her severe emotional distress, according to the lawsuit.
Eskew reported several alleged incidents of harassment during her employment at Stone Hilton, including during a lunch outing on June 16, 2023, when Stone allegedly made a sexual remark to her, stating, “I highly doubt that is the most disgusting thing that has ever been in your mouth,” after she expressed distaste for a drink, according to the lawsuit. Eskew alleges Hilton witnessed the incident but did nothing to intervene.
Another alleged incident that contributed to Eskew’s emotional distress included inappropriate comments when Stone allegedly made offensive remarks, such as a sexual comment during a lunch outing and calling Eskew “white trash” because of her turquoise earrings. Hilton again allegedly failed to intervene in these situations, according to the lawsuit.
In addition, Eskew claims she was subjected to yelling and berating by Stone and Hilton, including being told to “cry” after being verbally abused for delays in delivering lunch, according to the lawsuit.
And, according to the lawsuit, Stone made inappropriate comments, such as stating, “In this firm, there are no rules. You can say whatever slurs you want,” and asking Eskew to make him alcoholic drinks at the office.
Eskew also claims she observed Stone and Hilton drinking alcohol during work hours and was asked to purchase alcohol as part of her job duties.
Sounds like a great place to work. The most likely outcome here is some hush-hush settlement, but who knows, maybe this will advance to the point where more details will be made public. In the meantime, add this to the “In addition to everything else, Ken Paxton is a bad boss” files.