At least three people have lodged formal workplace discrimination complaints against Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, alleging she created a toxic workplace and sought to retaliate against women who reported her husband for sexual misconduct in her office, according to two sources familiar with the allegations.
Two of the complaints were filed by young female staffers who have alleged that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, subjected them to unwanted sexual touching late last year when they were working at U.S. Department of Labor offices.
MS NOW is not sharing the names of the two women to protect their identities during ongoing investigations of their claims. The Department of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Shawn DeRemer did not immediately return requests for comment.
The allegations, filed as Equal Employment Opportunity complaints, portray Chavez-DeRemer as an agency leader who fostered a hostile workplace where staff feared punishment for speaking out or resisting directives they considered inappropriate. One of the complaints says the Labor Secretary also directed staff to perform personal chores for her, including cleaning out one of her clothing closets, according to one of the sources.
The new discrimination complaints come as multiple agencies have been probing both the secretary’s workplace behavior and her husband’s actions. The Inspector General for the Department of Labor has been investigating allegations of misconduct involving the secretary and members of her senior staff.
Chavez-DeRemer’s lawyer has previously denied she engaged in any misconduct. Shawn DeRemer’s lawyer has also previously denied the allegations that his client engaged in any sexual assault or inappropriate conduct.
One of the female staffers reported a sex abuse incident to police in December, according to a police report obtained by MS NOW, and the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department investigated the allegations involving Shawn DeRemer. At least one of the alleged incidents was captured on office security footage and appeared to corroborate portions of one the staffer’s account, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The Washington Post reported in February that MPD closed its investigation of Shawn DeRemer, finding no evidence of a crime, but that he remains banned from the agency.
Chavez-DeRemer’s tenure as a cabinet member in the Trump administration has been marked by controversy.
The Inspector General’s office launched its probe after receiving a complaint about Chavez-DeRemer, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to MS NOW.
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The New York Post first reported the investigation, and — citing sources and documents — said the complaint accuses the secretary of “abusing her position” by engaging in an “inappropriate” relationship with a subordinate. She was also accused of drinking in her office during work hours and “travel fraud,” with her chief of staff allegedly “mak[ing] up” official reasons for her to take trips that were ultimately personal in nature, the Post reported.
At the time, DOL spokesperson Courtney Parella said the “unsubstantiated allegations are categorically false.”
“Secretary Chavez-DeRemer has complied with all ethics rules and Department policies and remains fully engaged in carrying out the Department’s work on behalf of this historic Administration,” Parella told the New York Post. “The Secretary is considering all possible avenues, including legal action, to fight these baseless accusations from anonymous sources.”
Earlier this year — while Chavez-DeRemer was serving as secretary — the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) revealed in its annual report that it paid $98,650 to settle a claim involving her congressional office. The claim pertained to Section 201 of the Congressional Accountability Act, an anti-discrimination clause, which “requires that all personnel actions – such as hiring, discharge, promotion, pay, or benefits – must be free from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”
The OCWR report does not detail the specific allegations against Chavez-DeRemer, nor does it specify if the claim directly involved the congresswoman. It was the only claim listed in the office’s annual report for 2025.
Akayla Gardner contributed to this report.
Carol Leonnig is a senior investigative reporter with MS NOW.
Mychael Schnell is a reporter for MS NOW.