PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon masseuse filed a complaint last year accusing Al Gore of sexual abuse during a 2006 massage session, the Associated Press reports.
Gore was in Portland to give a speech on climate change when the alleged incident took place on Oct. 24, 2006 at the upscale Hotel Lucia. The massage therapist claimed Gore started to moan during their session together and pushed her hand toward his pubic area. She said she fled after he attempted to have sex with her.
An attorney representing the masseuse first contacted authorities in late 2006, but she refused to allow an investigation. The case was reopened in January 2009 when she contacted police and provided them with a statement, but they found insufficient evidence to support her claims.
The woman said she didn't immediately contact police because she feared "being made into a public spectacle" and worried about the impact of the allegations on her reputation.
A Portland police spokeswoman told AP the woman asked for a copy of her statement this month and said she planned to take her case to the media.
Gore family spokeswoman Kalee Kreider told AP that the former vice president has no comment regarding the allegations.
Last month, Gore and his wife, Tipper, announced their separation after 40 years of marriage.
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