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A woman has accused the mayor of Carson of trying to sexually assault her in a Washington DC hotel room at a conference. She says he later subjected her to sexual harassment and bullying while the pair worked together on a local water board.Lynn Dymally, the daughter of the late politician Mervyn M. Dymally, has come forward with her story and a lawsuit against Carson mayor Albert Robles. Robles and Dymally go back more than 20 years—Robles was an aide to Mervyn Dymally while he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dymally told Los Cerritos Community News:
"It saddens me even more that a man who once worked for and with me and had the privilege of being mentored by my father, the Hon. Mervyn M. Dymally, a great defender of women’s rights, would have such a lack of respect for women. My dad would be heart broken by Albert’s transgressions and encourage me to stand-up for women and myself." "Albert Robles has become a despicable person and public servant who lacks the basic principles of integrity and respect for others. Mayor Robles must be held accountable for his egregious behavior against me and any other woman he has violated. He owes, not only me, but also, his mother, sister, wife, and daughter a public apology along with sincere atonement. Albert Robles is a detriment to the public’s best interest, a menace to society, and a disgrace to his family, friends, supporters, colleagues, constituents, WRD, and the city of Carson.”
Robles says he has not been served with a suit and denied the allegations to the Times, "I absolutely never forced myself on her, never forced myself into her room and I never ripped off her clothes — not her or any other woman. All these allegations are false."
Robles says he believes that Dymally has a vendetta against him. Dymally was appointed to the water board in September 2013, and she served a year before being defeated by John D. S. Allen in a November 2014 election. Robles voted against her appointment to the board and later supported her rival in the election. He says he believes that Dymally is filing the suit now to win political points now that he's mayor and Carson is looking at building an NFL stadium.
He told the Times: "Why did she wait so long? I think because she sees me as mayor of Carson, a much more high-profile position, and with all the football, she thought this was the perfect time."
The Times reports that no police report has been filed in DC. Los Cerritos News has a copy of the complaint here.
