[Chicago Tribune] woman said Friday she was raped by Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, D, in a "premeditated and aggressive" assault in 2000, while they both were undergraduate students at Duke University.Through her attorney, Meredith Watson said she shared her account of sexual assault immediately after it happened with several classmates, who have provided statements. Her lawyer also said she shared her account with friends in a string of emails and Facebook messages.
Watson was friends with Fairfax at Duke but they never dated or had any romantic relationship, her lawyer said.
"At this time, Ms. Watson is reluctantly coming forward out of a strong sense of civic duty and her belief that those seeking or serving in public office should be of the highest character," said her attorney, Nancy Erika Smith in a statement Friday. "She has no interest in becoming a media personality or reliving the trauma that has greatly affected her life. Similarly, she is not seeking any financial damages."