HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A civil lawsuit against Tampa City Councilman Orlando Gudes has been dismissed for a second time.
This lawsuit was filed in May by a former legislative aide for Gudes and by the woman's minor daughter. It claimed that Councilman Gudes created a hostile work environment and made crude comments and gestures that led to the "intentional infliction of emotional distress."
It also claimed Gudes defamed the pair by saying that the claims they made were not true.
The case was first dismissed back in July but was reinstated after that woman and her daughter petitioned for reconsideration.
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This time around, the judge dismissed two counts of this case "with prejudice," meaning they can't be refiled. Those two counts claim that Gudes' behavior led to the "intentional infliction of emotional distress" to that woman's daughter and that he defamed that child and her mother.
However, the judge dismissed a third count "without prejudice," meaning it can be reworked and refiled. That count claims that Gudes' behavior led to the "intentional infliction of emotional distress" on the legislative aide herself.
Councilman Gudes has previously denied many of the claims made in this case — and acknowledged that he may have made comments in the past that were "not appropriate for the workplace."
Gude's attorney has released the following statement to ABC Action News:
"The Court again dismissed the lawsuit against Councilmember Gudes.
At the Plaintiffs’ request, the Court conducted another very lengthy hearing. The Court again reviewed all of the allegations of the Plaintiffs and for the purposes of the ruling assumed all allegations were true. After the reconsideration and even assuming all of the allegations were true, the Court again dismissed the lawsuit in a lengthy, thoughtful order.
Councilmember Gudes very much appreciates the support he has received from the community. He has been and intends to continue to focus his time and energy on the important matters facing the City like the affordable housing crisis and preventing senseless gun violence."
