Tennessee lawmaker resigns after accusations of improper sexual contact

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WDEF) House Republican Mark Lovell submitted his resignation Tuesday morning.

The freshman representative from Memphis says the demands of his new job could not be balanced with his business interests and family life.

But Lovell became the latest state lawmaker accused of sexual impropriety.

Unidentified sources claim he is being investigated for “inappropriate touching” of a woman.

But in a phone interview with the Tennessean newspaper, Lovell said the accusations are completely false.

The paper reports that neither Speaker Beth Harwell nor Lt. Governor Randy McNally would confirm or deny any kind of investigation into Lovell.

Last year, Rep. Jeremy Durham was accused of multiple sexual improprieties with female staff members of the legislature… 22 of them in the Attorney General’s report.

He was voted out of office last November.

Democrats accused the Republican leadership of covering up the investigation, saying the House has a real harassment problem that they are not acknowledging.

Obtained by The Tennessean