A Utah lawmaker has been accused of making unwanted and aggressive lesbian advances toward four women.
Salt Lake City councilmember Eva Lopez Chavez allegedly used physical force and restraint, as well as cringeworthy pick-up lines, to try to seduce her accusers.
State senator Jen Plumb, state representative Hoang Nguyen, fellow council member Victoria Petro and former political aide Maggie Regier made the concerning allegations to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Lopez Chavez, a Democrat, has staunchly denied the allegations through her lawyer Greg Skordas, who said she was ‘shocked’ to learn of them.
But her accusers paint an alleged pattern of predatory behavior, claiming they were accosted by Lopez Chavez during social settings prior to her joining the city council in 2023.
Petro claims she was approached by congressional hopeful Lopez Chavez at the wedding reception of a former council member.
She told the Salt Lake Tribune that Lopez Chavez: ‘Pushed me back against a pillar so that my back was against the wall and told me, ‘The only reason I still f*** men is because a woman hasn’t shown me what I really want.”
‘If a man had done that to me, would there be a question if it was assault or not?’ she added in an interview with the outlet.
Salt Lake City councilmember Eva Lopez Chavez has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances towards four women, which she denies
She alleged that Lopez Chavez confronted her after she confided in several people and asked her to stop talking about it.
‘I said, ”You shouldn’t have given me a story to tell,” Petro said. ‘It’s my story.’
Skordas denied Petro’s recollection and said photographs of the evening showed her laughing and smiling with his client.
‘Nothing inappropriate happened and no one ever expressed any concern about Eva’s conduct,’ he told the Salt Lake Tribune.
The Daily Mail reached out to Skordas, who said he was unable to comment until Saturday.
Petro’s claims were echoed by Plumb, who alleged she was shoved against a wall by Lopez Chavez during a friend’s birthday party in November 2022.
‘It absolutely was a sexual advance. She leaned into me, grabbed onto my ass, got up in my face and said in my ear, “You’re sure you’re straight?”‘ Plumb said.
Regier, who uses they/them pronouns, alleged they were targeted by Lopez Chavez during a Human Rights Campaign fundraising event.
Fellow council member Victoria Petro claims Lopez Chavez pushed her against a pillar and said the only reason she is straight is because ‘a woman hasn’t shown me what I really want’
Regier claims the lawmaker was being ‘flirty’ all night and leading them around the room by their wrist.
However, they allege things escalated and Lopez Chavez dragged them into a hall, pinning them against a wall until they claim a friend stepped in.
Later on the dance floor, Regier said Lopez Chavez: ‘Was kind of trying to grab on to me and another friend physically stepped between us and pushed her off of me and was like, “Leave Maggie alone.”‘
The former political aide, who worked on Salt Lake City mayoral hopeful Stan Penfold’s unsuccesful campaign, said they reported it to their superior ‘in tears.’
Corey Cronin confirmed Regier told him about the incident and they felt like they were ‘being harassed by somebody [they] had a lot of respect for and [they] kept saying ‘no.”
‘Regardless of individual details of mine or anyone else’s experience, there is an established pattern of behavior that is not appropriate for elected officials,’ Regier told the Daily Mail.
‘Eva made unwanted sexual advances on multiple occurrences towards multiple women, and I hope she find the courage to take accountability for her actions.’
Skordas denied there was any inappropriate contact between Lopez Chavez and Plumb or Regier.
‘Eva holds Plumb in the highest regard, considering her a good friend and colleague,’ he said, adding that his client ‘never touched’ her.
Of Regier, he said they ‘played and laughed’ with Lopez Chavez at the fundraiser, ‘but no one was inappropriate in any way nor was there any unwanted contact.’
Lopez Chavez is a Democratic congressional candidate who has denied all the claims through her lawyer
Maggie Regier, who uses they/them pronouns, claims they were accosted by Lopez Chavez at a fundraising event, the lawmaker denied their allegations
Nguyen alleges that Lopez Chavez climbed on top of her as she was giving her a ride back to her car following a campaign event for Plumb.
‘Next thing I know she has leaned over and she’s on top of me, holding my shoulders down,’ Nguyen told the Salt Lake Tribune.
‘I said, “What are you doing?” And she said, “Kiss me,”‘ Nguyen said. ‘She said, “I’m not going to get off you until you kiss me.” I gave her a peck and she got off.’
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Skordas did not directly address Nguyen’s allegation.
‘Eva and Hoang have a series of friendly texts between them that show nothing inappropriate ever occurred,’ Skordas said. ‘There is never any mention of unwanted or inappropriate contact between the two of them.’
He added that Lopez Chavez has communications with all four accusers, which are ‘entirely inconsistent with these untrue allegations.’
The accusers said they did not report the alleged incidents to the police and only decided to speak out in light of recent comments by Lopez Chavez in which she identified herself as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault.
State representative and Lopez Chavez accuser Hoang Nguyen said she was motivated to speak out after hearing Lopez Chavez make comments in support of survivors of sexual assault
She issued a statement which read in part: ‘Our communities deserve leaders who take these issues seriously, not just in rhetoric but in conduct.
‘We cannot excuse behavior, past or present, that trivializes or undermines the seriousness of sexual violence, assault and harassment.’
But reports of Lopez Chavez’s alleged conduct appear to have reached Council Chair Alejandro Puy, who ordered a review of the council’s policies in February, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
An email he wrote, which the outlet obtained, reportedly states: ‘ I need to be direct: The reports and firsthand accounts of Council member Eva Lopez Chavez’s past behavior cannot be dismissed or minimized.
‘Based on my own firsthand knowledge, and the experience of some of my colleagues on the council, they do not describe an isolated incident.
‘They suggest a pattern of conduct that has affected colleagues in our own council, myself and many others in our community and has shaped our working environment.’
The review is ongoing, but Skordas said his client has filed her own complaint against Puy and the city, which is unrelated to the inappropriate advances claims but her treatment on the council.
A lawyer for Lopez Chavez said communication between her and her accusers does not indicate any inappropriate conduct
Utah state Senate representative Jen Plumb alleged she was shoved against a wall by Lopez Chavez during a friend’s birthday party in November 2022. Lopez Chavez refutes her claims
A spokeswoman for the Salt Lake City council told the Tribune that they were unaware of any allegations against Lopez Chavez before her appointment.
‘Appropriate steps would have been taken immediately had the office been made aware of any such allegations,’ she said.
The Daily Mail has contacted Salt Lake City council, Plumb, Nguyen and Regier for comment.
