Four women have accused Salt Lake City Councilwoman Eva Lopez Chavez of multiple unwanted sexual advances at social and political events between 2019 and 2022, and the allegations have prompted internal reviews, denials from her lawyer, and a broader debate about consistent standards for accountability in politics.
Four women, including two state legislators and a fellow city council member, say Eva Lopez Chavez made aggressive, unwanted sexual advances at events ranging from wedding receptions to fundraisers between 2019 and 2022. Lopez Chavez, a Salt Lake City councilwoman running for Congress, has denied the allegations through her attorney Greg Skordas, who points to photographs, videos, and friendly text exchanges he says contradict the claims.
The accusations outline a similar pattern: shoving, pinning, grabbing, and climbing on top of women, according to the accounts. None of the accusers filed police reports, but Council Chair Alejandro Puy said the descriptions matched his own firsthand knowledge and could not be “dismissed or minimized.”
The most detailed public allegation comes from state Rep. Hoang Nguyen, who said Lopez Chavez climbed on top of her when Nguyen was giving her a ride back to her car after a campaign event. Nguyen described the encounter bluntly: “Next thing I know she has leaned over and she’s on top of me, holding my shoulders down. I said, ‘What are you doing?’ And she said, ‘Kiss me.’ She said, ‘I’m not going to get off you until you kiss me.’ I gave her a peck and she got off.”
Skordas said Lopez Chavez and Nguyen exchanged a series of friendly texts afterward that contain no mention of unwanted or inappropriate contact, though he did not directly dispute the substance of Nguyen’s account. The tension between contemporaneous messages and these later accusations complicates how witnesses and institutions weigh credibility.
State Sen. Jen Plumb says an encounter at a birthday party in November 2022 involved Lopez Chavez shoving her against a wall and making a crude sexual remark. Plumb told reporters: “It absolutely was a sexual advance. She leaned into me, grabbed onto my a**, got up in my face and said in my ear, ‘You’re sure you’re straight?'” Skordas responded that Lopez Chavez “holds Plumb in the highest regard, considering her a good friend and colleague” and that “nothing inappropriate happened and no one ever expressed any concern about Eva’s conduct.”
Councilwoman Victoria Petro recounted an incident at a wedding reception where she says Lopez Chavez grabbed her throat and pushed her against a pillar, later saying, “The only reason I still f*** men is because a woman hasn’t shown me what I really want.” Petro said Lopez Chavez confronted her after Petro confided in others, allegedly replying, “It’s my story.” Petro asked a blunt question about consistency: “If a man had done that to me, would there be a question if it was assault or not?”
The fourth accuser, Maggie Regier, a former political aide who uses they/them pronouns, said Lopez Chavez targeted them at a Human Rights Campaign fundraising event, led them by the wrist, and eventually pinned them in a hallway until a friend intervened. Regier recalled a friend stepping between them and pushing Lopez Chavez away: “Was kind of trying to grab on to me and another friend physically stepped between us and pushed her off of me and was like, ‘Leave Maggie alone.'”
Regier said they reported the incident to a superior “in tears,” and a colleague corroborated that account. Skordas disputed this portrayal, saying Regier “played and laughed” with Lopez Chavez at the fundraiser and that “no one was inappropriate in any way nor was there any unwanted contact.” Regier summed up their view bluntly: “Eva made unwanted sexual advances on multiple occurrences towards multiple women, and I hope she find the courage to take accountability for her actions.”
Council Chair Puy ordered a review of council policies in February, before these allegations became public, and he said the reports “suggest a pattern of conduct that has affected colleagues in our own council, myself and many others in our community and has shaped our working environment.” A council spokeswoman said the office was unaware of any allegations before Lopez Chavez’s appointment in 2023 and would have acted had they known; all four accusers said the incidents occurred before she joined the council.
Lopez Chavez has filed a separate complaint against Puy and the city about her treatment on the council, which her lawyer says is not related to the sexual-misconduct claims. Skordas said Lopez Chavez was “shocked” by the accusations and that she “intends to continue fighting for what’s right” as she pursues a bid for Utah’s 1st Congressional District.
The timing matters: Lopez Chavez did not gather enough petition signatures to automatically qualify for the ballot and now relies on delegate support at the state nominating convention to stay in the race. The accusers say they stepped forward after Lopez Chavez publicly identified herself as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, a contrast they say deserves scrutiny regardless of party labels.
Utah Democrats and the Salt Lake City Council say they take the claims “very seriously” and support investigations, but no formal inquiry has been announced and no police reports were filed. For many voters and observers, the central question is simple and unforgiving: will political allies apply the same standard of accountability they demand from opponents, or will standards bend depending on who is accused?
