Bulk of harassment lawsuit against governor dismissed

FRANKFORT, Ky.-- A judge Wednesday dismissed most of a lawsuit filed by the owner of a nursing home who said Gov. Paul Patton started a regulatory crackdown after she ended their two-year affair.

Circuit Court Judge Roger Crittenden dismissed state government as a defendant and threw out the allegations that Patton sexually harassed Tina Conner and wasted state resources during their affair.

Left intact are Conner's claims that Patton caused her emotional distress and acted outrageously.

Patton said the lawsuit would eventually show he did nothing wrong as governor.

"I'm confident that the outcome will be I have in no way abused the office of governor," Patton said after learning of the ruling.

Most of Conner's lawsuit was brought under a statute that applies to state employees, which she has never been.

Lawmakers had raised objections to the state paying to defend the lawsuit, but officials said earlier that they were confident the state would be dismissed as a defendant.

Conner is the owner of the Birchtree Healthcare nursing home, which has gone into bankruptcy receivership. The state is seeking to revoke the license of the 116-bed facility because of what it claims are ongoing safety concerns for residents.

Conner claims Patton gave her nursing home special treatment while they had a sexual relationship from 1997 to 1999, then turned state regulators loose on the home after the relationship ended.

Patton has acknowledged the affair but denied doing anything to assist or damage Conner's business.