Cain accuser stands by sexual harassment complaint

One of the women who accused Republican presidential contender Herman Cain of sexual harassment released a statement through her lawyer Friday saying that she "stands by" her complaint, which was made "in good faith about a series of inappropriate behaviors and unwanted advances."

There was "more than one incident" of harassment involving Cain and his client over the span of a couple of months in 1999, attorney Joel Bennett said.

Bennett said his client, married for 26 years, will not reveal her identity because "she and her husband see no value in revisiting this matter now nor in discussing the matter any further publicly or privately."

"In fact," he added, "it would be extremely painful for her to do so."

Bennett released the statement after reaching an agreement to do so with the National Restaurant Association, the organization headed by Cain during the time of the alleged harassment. The group has an agreement with the alleged victim that includes a series of confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions.

Dawn Sweeney, the current head of the association, issued a statement confirming that in July 1999, Bennett's client "filed a formal internal complaint, in accordance with the association's existing policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment."

Cain, she noted, "disputed the allegations in the complaint."

Sweeney said the association is prepared to fully release Bennett's client from her confidentiality agreement in the event she wants to disclose additional details.

The controversy has dominated Cain's front-running campaign for the past week. A defiant Cain insists he did nothing wrong, and will not let the issue deter him.

Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon said in response to Bennett's statement that the Cain campaign looks "forward to focusing our attention on the real issues impacting this country -- like fixing this broken economy and putting Americans back to work."

Cain's campaign said earlier Friday it is considering filing a lawsuit against Politico, the news organization which broke the harassment story last Sunday.

A possible lawsuit "is being discussed," Gordon told CNN. Gordon declined, however, to discuss the timetable or legal basis for such a move. Cain and his campaign aides have been highly critical of Politico's use of anonymous sources, among other things.

Politico executive editor Jim VandeHei told CNN he had heard nothing from the Cain campaign, and said the organization "stands confidently behind every story (our) reporters have written on the topic."

Cain has cited strong poll numbers and fund-raising to claim voters know the allegations are a baseless political attack.

"The American people are starting to see through this stuff, and they are sick of gutter politics," Cain declared in a radio interview with conservative commentator Sean Hannity on Thursday. "This will not deter me."

Asked about money paid to two women -- including Bennett's client -- when they left the National Restaurant Association, Cain said in the one case he recalled, it was severance money because accusations of impropriety on his part proved unfounded.

Bennett insisted Friday there was no severance agreement, but rather a financial settlement of the harassment complaint.

Cain on Thursday also repeated his accusation that the campaign of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a conservative rival for the GOP nomination, was behind the allegations emerging as Cain rose to the top of the polls in the race.

In particular, he noted that a former aide, Curt Anderson, signed on with the Perry campaign shortly before the allegations surfaced in Politico.

"These are the facts. Connect the dots," Cain said, adding that "as more of the information comes out, the more baseless it appears to people."