Louisville’s Ethics Commission last month threw out a complaint alleging former Metro Council Member Phillip Baker retaliated against his legislative aide because she planned to file a sexual harassment lawsuit.
The commission voted on May 20 to dismiss the complaint with prejudice, meaning the aide, Shalanna Taylor, cannot re-file it. In doing so, the commission accepted the findings of a hearing officer who said much of Taylor’s retaliation complaint was based on hearsay.
Taylor filed the complaint in August 2024 alleging Baker inappropriately touched her and made sexual comments to her while she was employed as his legislative aide. She alleged that when she reported the incidents to Deputy Mayor David James, he pushed Baker to fire her. James was also a subject of Taylor’s ethics complaint.
Both Baker and James have denied any wrongdoing.
The Ethics Commission did not rule on the underlying allegations of sexual harassment, which were not part of the narrow complaint. The hearing officer, local attorney Deborah C. Myers, said any conclusions about whether or not Baker sexually harassed Taylor were beyond the scope of the ethics commission’s inquiry.
Reached for comment Tuesday, Taylor’s attorney Robyn Smith declined to comment on the commission’s ruling. She noted that Taylor filed a motion to withdraw her complaint in April, after the in-person hearings had taken place.
Taylor’s lawsuit, which names Baker, James and Louisville Metro as defendants, is still ongoing. In that case, she alleges sexual harassment, retaliation and defamation.
In a statement Tuesday, Baker thanked the Ethics Commission for “taking the time to look closely at the facts.”
“I have said from day one that I did nothing wrong, and I’m grateful the truth has come out,” he said. “This was never just about me — it was about protecting the integrity of public service in Louisville.”
Baker, a Democrat, was appointed to represent Metro Council District 6 in February 2023, after James vacated the seat to take a position in Mayor Craig Greenberg’s administration. He lost the Democratic primary last May to J.P. Lyninger, who now represents the district.
James did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this report.
The hearing officer’s full finding of facts in the Ethics Commission case can be found here.
