Ex-AFGE Chief, Union Escape Most of Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit

A federal judge threw out core parts of a complaint against the largest federal workers union and its former president J. David Cox, who is accused of sexual harassment.

Judge John Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said in an opinion Wednesday that the bulk of the allegations—including that Cox harassed, assaulted, and created a hostile work environment for members of his staff—weren’t enforceable under the federal accountability law that governs union conduct.

Cox and alleged co-conspirators at the American Federation of Government Employees didn’t necessarily breach their “official duty” because a ban on sexual ...