Governor’s Office Fights to Block Records Related to Sexual Harrassment Scandal

By Todd Shepherd

Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration is fighting in two separate lawsuits to block the release of documents and other information that could shed more light on the sexual harassment allegations that forced the resignation of his top deputy, Mike Vereb, in September 2023.

In both cases, the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records has ruled that many of the documents should be turned over in response to requests by Broad + Liberty. The legal fight already unearthed in February that the administration completely deleted the email account of Vereb’s accuser after she suddenly quit in March 2023, and the governor’s office has refused to say when the account was deleted.

Why It Matters. The evolution of the scandal suggests more of an unraveling than of anything to being put to rest. An email account deleted at an unknown time, a “get stuff done” executive who didn’t know about accusations against his most trusted deputy, legal exclusions to withhold documents that were easily dismissed by courts, and now court cases seeking to bar documents — all these cut against the brand of the politician who made his fame prosecuting the Catholic Church for its handling of sexual abuse in its ranks.

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