Civil suit: Huntington town supervisor forcibly touched ex-staffer

A former staffer has filed a civil lawsuit accusing Huntington Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci of sexual assault.
Brian Finnegan, a former staffer and adviser when Lupinacci was a state assemblyman, says the incident happened in December 2017. Then-Assemblyman Lupinacci had just been elected to lead the Town of Huntington.
In a suit filed in Suffolk Supreme Court, Finnegan says he and Lupinacci traveled to Albany to clear out the assemblyman's office. Finnegan says Lupinacci insisted they share a hotel room due to budget constraints, and that's where Finnegan says he was attacked.
Finnegan says he was verbally abused by his boss for years. But after the alleged physical attack, he says he resigned from his position with the assemblyman and turned down a job offer for a position he coveted --working as an executive assistant and senior adviser to the Huntington town supervisor.
But Finnegan says others who knew of the attack continue to work for the town in the Lupinacci administration. As for why Finnegan never filed criminal charges, his attorney, Arthur Aidala, says his client was hoping it wouldn't get to this point.
Lupinacci, who's finishing up his first year as town supervisor, bolted for the exit Tuesday afternoon as News 12 tried to ask him about the accusations.
Democrats have not been quick to pounce on the Republican just yet. Democratic Councilman Mark Cuthbertson says he'd be "surprised" if the allegations are true. He noted that there's a process for the claims to be evaluated.