The woman who accused former State Rep. Perry Hooper, Jr. of sexual abuse is speaking out after Hooper claimed the alleged assault was an "obvious political setup" and sued the city of Montgomery for his arrest.
On Wednesday, Hooper filed a lawsuit against Montgomery and Montgomery Police Chief Darryl J. Albert concerning now-dropped charges of sexual abuse filed against Hooper in 2022. Elizabeth Daly, a hostess at a Montgomery restaurant, said Hooper grabbed her breast and waist while shoving his pelvis against her backside and kissing her neck. Hooper was arrested and charged in August 2022. In early December, Daly requested the charges be dropped, which a circuit judge granted days later.
Hooper initially released a formal apology to Daly, saying he was "wrong" and "my behavior was unacceptable."
Since Hooper's lawsuit, Daly issued a statement through her lawyer doubling down on her original abuse claims and bashing Hooper for walking back his previous apology.
According to Daly, she was not coerced either to make the complaint or to have the charges dropped. She further stated that a Montgomery grand jury voted to indict Hooper multiple times. After the indictment, Daly said she requested the charges to be dropped in exchange for a public apology from Hooper.
"[T]he case/charges were dropped, with the agreement of Mr. Hooper to publicly apologize and take accountability for his actions as well as never speak negatively about me," Daly said in a statement. "This agreement was reached in good faith and trust on my part, which has been betrayed and violated.
"I have been in the long, slow process of healing, which has included extending sincere forgiveness to Mr. Hooper every single day; although it is now clear that my forgiveness and dismissal of charges was based on a false statement from Mr. Hooper."
According to Hooper, the video footage of the alleged abuse lasted 2.2 seconds and was "laughable" as a demonstration of any sexual act. He further claimed that the entire incident was a ploy by his political enemies over his Republican views and previous ties with former President Donald Trump.
"I am outraged as a victim, a woman, and a human being, that in the year of 2023, we are still getting sexual assault so wrong that a video of a woman being assaulted is classified as 'laughable,'" Daly continued. "Sexual assault victims, women, and true men everywhere must now grapple with the knowledge that a man or anyone assuming ownership over another's body, for any length of time, is an event to place in the 'Comedy Genre.'"
Daly further claimed that a man accompanying Hooper at the time of the assault stated, "I would never get away with doing something like that." Hooper, in response, is alleged to have said, "I'll get away with it because I am Perry Hooper."
It is unclear if Daly intends to pursue further charges against Hooper. She said she would make no additional comment at the time but concluded her statement by offering support to Montgomery city officials.
"The public servants who diligently serve the City of Montgomery deserve better than the allegations leveled against them in these court filings," she said. "They viewed the surveillance video, which matched up with my statement and recollection of events. They expressed genuine empathy, care, and dedication to following the law in this matter."
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning
