Third woman alleges Herman Cain sexually harassed her

A third woman considered filing a complaint against Herman Cain for aggressive and unwanted behavior while he was the head of the National Restaurant Association, according to the Associated Press.

The woman said Cain engaged in inappropriate behavior, including a private invitation to his corporate apartment, that made her feel uncomfortable around the same time two co-workers had settled separate harassment complaints against him.

She told the Associated Press that she did not file a formal complaint because she began to have less interaction with him and wished to remain anonymous because she feared losing her current job.

Politico reported on Sunday that when Cain was head of the National Restaurant Association, a post he held from 1996 to 1999, two females employees had complained about his inappropriate behavior, including conversations allegedly filled with innuendo and sexually suggestive questions.

The allegations sparked a media frenzy that has engulf his campaign.

According to Politico’s sources, the women left the lobbying group after signing agreements that provided them with financial payouts but prohibited them from talking about the reasons for their departure. The sources described the agreements as an attempt to cover up the matter rather than dealing with it openly.

According to The New York Times, one of the two women received a full years’ severance fee of $35,000 from the National Restaurant Association.

The other woman, upset over Cain’s comments since the scandal broke Sunday, is now seeking to break a non-disclosure agreement she signed while leaving the restaurant association, according to The Washington Post.

A Republican pollster and former National Restaurant Association employee on Wednesday morning told Oklahoma City's KTOK radio station that he witnessed Cain's alleged harassment of one of the former trade association employees in the late 1990s.

"This occurred at a restaurant in Crystal City [Virginia], and everybody was aware of it," he said. "It was only a matter of time because so many people were aware of what took place, so many people were aware of her situation, the fact she left — everybody knew with the campaign that this would eventually come up."

Cain acknowledged that allegations of sexual harassment were made against him, but denied being guilty of sexually harassment. He blamed the campaign of his rival, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, for leaking the allegations of sexual harassment to the press.

Photo credit: John Trainor