Former state Rep. Cindy Gamrat is suing the Michigan House of Representatives for $25,000 and court costs related to her ouster in September 2015.
Lawmakers expelled Gamrat last September for misconduct in office after she was accused of covering up an extramarital affair with another lawmaker.
She filed her 10-page lawsuit Thursday, Sept. 8, in U.S. District Court, according to documents posted online by several media outlets.
The lawsuit states the House Select Committee, chaired by Rep. Edward McBroom, did not consider censure as a reprimand and unfairly did not allow her to call witnesses during its inquiry. Gamrat also claims House Business Office Director Tim Bowlin made false and misleading statements that led the House to vote in favor of her expulsion.
She states she lost the wages of her position as state representative but also was “damaged by the conduct of Defendants in that she has suffered embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, stress, incidental monetary loss in defending the allegations and emotional distress.”
Lansing District Judge Hugh Clarke Jr. ruled Tuesday, June 14, that not enough probable cause existed for Gamrat to face felony misconduct in office charges. Michigan’s Attorney General had accused Gamrat of lying during the legislative investigation and having staff forge their signatures on draft legislation.
Gamrat’s affair was with Todd Courser of Lapeer, who resigned his seat just prior to an expulsion vote. Courser is also suing the House and others in a lengthier lawsuit.
Courser asked a staffer to widely disseminate a false, sexually explicit email to make it appear his affair with Gamrat would also be unbelievable. When the staffer refused, he sent it himself, attempting to do so anonymously.
The House Select Committee had determined that Gamrat at least agreed with the plan—though Courser claimed he was its sole author.
In the criminal case, Judge Clarke said there was no probable cause Gamrat told a staffer to sign her name to legislation and there was insufficient evidence she knew about the email contents.
Courser said he’d hatched the plan due to threatening anonymous emails he’d received, which a Michigan State Police investigation later revealed were orchestrated by Gamrat’s husband at the time, Joe Gamrat. The two have since divorced.
The Lapeer County Prosecutor’s office chose not pursue a crimnnal case against him, as the texts were motivated by ending his wife’s affair and did not rise to the level of criminal extortion.
Contact Ryan Lewis at rmlewis@allegannews.com or (269) 673-5534.
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