A Sacramento lobbyist has sued law firm Wilke, Fleury, Hoffelt, Gould & Birney and its managing partner, alleging they fired her in retaliation for signing a widely circulated letter that called for an end to “systemic” sexual misconduct in California's capital.

The letter, organized by the nonprofit We Said Enough and signed by more than 140 lobbyists, legislative staffers and lawmakers, complained of groping, sexualized comments and threats from men working in and around the Legislature. Alicia Lewis, hired by Wilke Fleury in December 2016, was the third person to sign the letter.

The publication of the letter in the Los Angeles Times on Oct. 17 caused a firestorm of debate about the Legislature's culture and its process for handling harassment complaints. Two assemblyman have since resigned amid misconduct accusations and a senator is under investigation for allegedly improper conduct toward female staffers.

In a complaint filed in Sacramento County Superior Court on Wednesday, Lewis said she told her immediate supervisor, who questioned what “blowback” her signature might cause the firm. Lewis said she was summoned to a meeting on Oct. 25 with the supervisor, the firm's human resources director and managing partner Stephen Marmaduke.

Lewis said she was told to detail her experiences of sexual harassment and other “private abuses” and reluctantly did so.

Lewis “began steering the conversation towards problem-solving and a productive resolution,” according to the complaint. “Instead, Marmaduke interrupted and blurted out that it did not matter because defendants were terminating plaintiff anyway, effective immediately.”

Marmaduke did not respond to a message seeking comment. Wilke Fleury partner Robert Lamb, a professional liability defense specialist, said in an email the firm was still reviewing the complaint and would issue a “more complete statement” later.

“In the interim I would emphasize that, while we cannot further comment on a personnel matter, our firm fully supports the movement to address sexual harassment and adamantly denies any suggestion that we have mistreated any employee for his or her involvement in such movement,” Lamb wrote. “Further, we are not aware of any allegation by Ms. Lewis that any employee of the firm ever sexually harassed her.”

Lewis said she received a right-to-sue letter from the Department of Fair Employment and Housing after filing a complaint on Oct. 30. Her lawsuit seeks general, special and punitive damages for wrongful termination, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Lewis is represented by Oakland attorney Micha Star Liberty of Liberty Law.

In addition to the firm's law practice, Wilke Fleury maintains a small lobby shop with two registered advocates and 20 clients, many of them in the health care and pharmaceutical industries.

Lewis's complaint is posted below:

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