This is a Kentucky Lantern story republished under Creative Commons. See more from Kentucky Lantern here.
The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission has found “probable cause” that Rep. Daniel Grossberg, a Louisville Democrat accused of inappropriate behavior toward women, committed ethics violations, clearing the way for the first public airing of the charges against him.
The commission’s votes came after a closed-door hours-long meeting last month which included appearances by Grossberg and his lawyers, women who work in politics and workers from a Louisville strip club.
During a Tuesday meeting, commission members voted to find “probable cause” that the lawmaker violated the state ethics code in three ways: relating “intimidating statements or actions toward a private business,” “attempts to obtain contributions in exchange for possible state catering vendor business for a private company,” and an interaction with an individual in Grossberg’s Capitol Annex office before and after a July 2023 committee meeting “involving inappropriate treatment of that person.”
The commission met in an executive session before votes were cast.
The commission may now hold a public adjudicatory hearing. After the votes, commission Chairman David Nicholas told Grossberg and his attorneys that he may file an agreed settlement in the case.
Thomas E. Clay, one of Grossberg’s lawyers, told the Kentucky Lantern Wednesday afternoon that the commission had not yet notified him of when the public hearing might be. He said he was “somewhat surprised” by the scope of the hearings because the commission had offered a settlement order based on only some of the allegations listed in the probable cause decision.
“So now, they’ve referred these other charges for full blown hearing, and I find that somewhat contradictory,” Clay said.
Grossberg has been expelled from the House Democratic Caucus and faces calls from within his party to resign his legislative seat. The allegations that he behaved inappropriately toward women came to light last year in reporting reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader. In a separate investigation, the Legislative Research Commission questioned women about inappropriate text messages sent to them by Grossberg. Later, the strip club, Foxys Gentlemen’s Club, told the Herald-Leader it banned Grossberg for life after he inappropriately touched a dancer.
Before the June hearing, Grossberg had attempted to sway Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate to block the proceeding, but Wingate dismissed the motion. However, the case is still pending.
House Democrats sought the investigation by the Legislative Ethics Commission. What exactly is in the complaint against Grossberg, as well as any investigation findings, are not publicly known though some details have been reported by media outlets. Kentucky law makes the ethics commission’s proceedings, including complaints and other records related to a preliminary inquiry, confidential until the commission makes a final determination.
Grossberg represents the 30th House District, which includes central parts of Jefferson County. He has gained some primary challengers for the 2026 election.
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This article appears in Jul 4-31, 2025.