A former employee at an influential political consulting firm claims in a federal lawsuit that management took no action after she reported she was sexually assaulted by her supervisor at a Pittsburgh restaurant.
The complaint against Pittsburgh-based ColdSpark Media, initially filed in August and amended last month, includes claims for sex discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, and aiding and abetting.
It names as defendants ColdSpark as well as the firm’s vice president of digital, Tyler Hargrave; its former vice president, Ryan Reynolds; and ColdSpark founder and owner Michael DeVanney.
ColdSpark spokesman Jeremy Neuhart said Wednesday the company and the named defendants deny the allegations.
The plaintiff is a woman who worked for ColdSpark from October 2021 to January 2022, when she resigned, alleging such abusive working conditions that she was forced to do so.
The TribLive is not naming the woman as she alleges she was a victim of sexual assault. She was hired as a manager overseeing staff implementing marketing campaigns.
While Hargrave was her direct supervisor, the complaint said Reynolds also had authority over her.
Reynolds and Hargrave do not currently work for ColdSpark.
According to the lawsuit, ColdSpark hosted a two-day company retreat and holiday party in Pittsburgh in December 2021.
On Dec. 14, 2021, the lawsuit said the woman went to dinner with the three defendants and a co-worker.
After DeVanney and Hargrave left for the evening, the complaint said Reynolds began touching the woman’s knee under the table and out of sight of their co-worker.
“At first, plaintiff ignored the touching, as she simply thought defendant Reynolds had accidentally touched her knee,” the lawsuit said.
However, Reynolds then moved his hand to the woman’s inner thigh, before later rubbing her back and touching her genitals.
“Plaintiff was mortified and visibly upset,” the lawsuit said.
Although Reynolds and her co-worker asked if something was wrong, the complaint said, the woman was unable to answer.
She asked if they could head back to the hotel. Reynolds left, the lawsuit said, and the woman confided to her co-worker what had happened.
The next morning, the lawsuit said the woman reported Reynolds’ conduct to Hargrave, who told her that Reynolds was a “good guy.”
The lawsuit said the allegations against Reynolds made their way to DeVanney and co-founder Mark Harris but that ColdSpark took no remedial action.
Later, when she encountered Reynolds in their office, the woman said she felt unsafe, gathered her belongings and finished her workday at her hotel.
Then, in January 2022, she claimed ColdSpark wanted her to travel to Washington, D.C., for a dinner with Reynolds and another partner.
“Plaintiff was afraid for her safety and did not want to continue working in the hostile work environment to which she was subjected to,” the lawsuit said. She resigned.
The lawsuit alleges the woman has sought medical treatment for psychological injuries stemming from the incident. Her attorney, Timothy J. Prol, said the complaint speaks for itself.
“We look forward to justice being done on the plaintiff’s behalf,” he said.
But Neuhart, ColdSpark’s spokesman, said many of the woman’s claims in the initial complaint “fail as a matter of law.”
The defendants have filed motions to dismiss the complaint, but they have not yet filed their formal responses, which are due Dec. 4.
“ColdSpark Media and its owners only became aware of the allegations after (the plaintiff) resigned,” Neuhart said. “ColdSpark Media and the other defendants believe that the court or a jury will find in their favor.”
ColdSpark is a significant political player, particularly in Pennsylvania.
The firm boasts work on successful campaigns of former U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh, and U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters. On its website, it also mentions advocacy and coalition building for Pittsburgh Works Together, a regional consortium of businesses and building trades labor unions.
When reached, Pittsburgh Works president Jeff Nobers said he was not aware of the lawsuit, had no comment and noted that the consortium stopped working with ColdSpark a few months ago following an agency review.
Currently, ColdSpark is working with the campaigns of Republican candidate for Allegheny County executive Joe Rockey and Senate candidate Dave McCormick as well as for Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, according to Politico.
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The Rockey campaign has paid ColdSpark over $200,000 for consulting work and other services this cycle, according to campaign finance reports. The Rockey campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
The McCormick campaign appears to have some of the deepest ties to ColdSpark. His campaign paid ColdSpark nearly $115,000 for service during the former hedge fund CEO’s unsuccessful Senate run last year.
The firm announced McCormick as a client in September and openly touted work the firm did on McCormick’s campaign launch in an email, according to the Daily Beast.
Additionally, McCormick’s PAC, Pennsylvania Rising, moved its offices in July to the same address and floor in Downtown Pittsburgh as ColdSpark, according to the address listed on campaign finance reports. McCormick hasn’t released campaign finance reports yet, but Pennsylvania Rising paid ColdSpark about $37,000 in services this year.
The McCormick campaign did not respond to a request for comment.