Ex-legislator over nude photos he is accused of posting online
Nick Sauer, the former state legislator facing criminal charges alleging he posted lewd images of two former girlfriends online without their consent, is being sued by one of those women.
Attorneys for Melissa Sue Kreithen, who dated Sauer in 2016, said in a statement Wednesday that the ex-lawmaker's actions were humiliating, degrading and emotionally and mentally damaging to their client.
"She looks forward to her day in court so that Nick Sauer may be prosecuted civilly for the damages he has caused her," the statement from the Chicago law firm Levin, Riback, Adelman & Flangel reads.
Daniel M. Locallo, who is leading the legal team representing Sauer in the criminal case, did not return a call for comment Wednesday.
The lawsuit claims Sauer used three private, intimate photos of Kreithen on social media sites, such as Instagram, in an attempt to lure men into an online relationship using a fictitious persona, a scam commonly known as "catfishing." According to the suit, the photos were intended to be shared solely between Sauer and Kreithen.
Kreithen's attorney Robert J. Adelman declined to say Wednesday how much she is seeking in damages but indicated it is more than $50,000.
Sauer, 36, has pleaded not guilty to a dozen charges of nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images. He resigned from his District 51 House seat last summer.
He is due back in court Oct. 15 for a pretrial hearing. A trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 9.
The first court hearing related to the lawsuit is scheduled for Dec. 17.