A Columbia County Circuit Court judge upheld a five-year protective order against a state representative on Monday, May 8, after a former campaign worker alleged multiple instances of sexual abuse and threats to keep silent.

After the woman initially applied for the restraining order in November 2022, Rep. Brian Stout, a Columbia City Republican representing House District 31, denied the accusations and moved to have the case dismissed.

Columbia County Judge Cathleen Callahan denied Stout’s request to dismiss the order in January, leading to a three-day hearing spread across January, March and April. Callahan ruled in favor of the plaintiff following that three-day hearing, which concluded April 26.

House Speaker Dan Rayfield said in a statement Tuesday, that Stout should resign, according to media reports. Willamette Week reported that House Majority Leader Julie Fahey also called on Stout to step down.

“I’ve been deeply troubled by the allegations of sexual abuse and abusive behavior since they surfaced,” Rayfield said in a statement provided to Pamplin Media Group. “These allegations have now been upheld by Judge Callahan. The behavior described in the judge’s order does not align with the values of the House of Representatives.”

Rayfield removed Stout from all legislative committees just days after Callahan declined to dismiss the protective order shortly before the session began.

“I no longer believe he can effectively serve and should therefore resign,” Rayfield said of Stout in his statement this week. “Whether he makes that decision or not, he will remain without any committee assignments.”

The plaintiff, who delivered campaign signs and was involved in the campaign strategy for Stout’s unsuccessful race for a House seat in 2020, filed for a restraining order against Stout on Nov. 7, one day before the 2022 election, alleging that Stout touched her on multiple occasions without consent and threatened her if she spoke up.

Stout then contested the order, sending the case to civil court, where numerous witnesses and the plaintiff testified to the veracity of the plaintiff’s allegations.

Five witnesses testified that Stout’s accuser was visibly uncomfortable when Stout was in her presence and that she asked friends and family to accompany her during events and meetings at the Columbia County Elks Lodge, a private social club to which they both belonged.

A plaintiff’s family member testified that Stout’s “cycle of abuse” escalated as the woman shared more details of the relationship with her.

During the hearings, the plaintiff said she was asked to join Stout’s campaign after getting involved with the Columbia County Republican Party. Her role was to get him ready and present him to the public as “a guy you would want to have a beer with,” she said.

She eventually became his close friend and confidant, and she said the two agreed to have an intimate — though not explicitly physical — relationship.

Stout then reportedly threatened her, saying, “By the way, if you ever tell anyone about this, we will walk to Multnomah Falls, and I will push you over the cliff.”

“I took it as if I tell anybody, he would make my death look like an accident,” the woman said in the hearing.

The woman said Stout also touched and kissed her inappropriately.

The woman then outlined multiple instances in 2020 and 2021 where she alleged that Stout groped her without consent or proceeded with sexual contact, even after she said no, in his campaign office or home.

She said as the events recurred, she “didn’t know how to tell him” she didn’t like what he was doing and that she “did not feel comfortable saying no.”

The woman also detailed multiple occasions in which Stout threatened to harm himself, her friends, or family if or when people found out about the affair.

She and Stout corresponded via text message and phone calls, but the woman said she could not call or text him first. Instead, the two shared messages on Telegram, which allows either party to delete conversations off both devices.

Stout admitted in court to having a sexual encounter with the woman in 2020, but he claimed she initiated it and it was consensual.

In a statement he sent to Pamplin Media Group on Wednesday, May 10, Stout said: “While always respectful of the judicial process, I strongly disagree with the recent ruling on the hearing and am currently spending some time in review. Additional conversations and reflection with my family and community will be ongoing over the next few days and following weeks.”

The protective order compels Stout to stay away from the woman for five years.

Willamette Week reported that Stout’s attorney said he plans to appeal Callahan’s ruling.

Aurora Biggers is a reporter for the Pamplin Media Group, a partner in the Oregon Capital Bureau