Second woman accuses Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault

Watson did not speak publicly Friday and her lawyer did not make her available for an interview.Fairfax denied the allegations forcefully.“I deny this latest unsubstantiated allegation,” Fairfax said in a statement. I have never forced myself on anyone ever.”Watson was friends with Fairfax at Duke but they never dated or had any romantic relationship, Watson’s lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith, said.“At this time, Ms. Watson is reluctantly coming forward out of a strong sense of civic duty and her belief that those seeking or serving in public office should be of the highest character,” Smith said in the statement . “Watson’s claim comes at the end of a turbulent week that began when a different woman, Vanessa Tyson, accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her in 2004 when both were in Boston attending the Democratic National Convention.[Tyson has spoken for years about the sexual assault issue]Fairfax denied that he assaulted Tyson, said he was the victim of a “smear” and has said repeatedly that they had a consensual encounter.Smith said the details of Watson’s alleged attack are similar to those described by Tyson.Kaneedreck Adams, 40, who attended Duke with Watson, said that in the spring of 2000, when they lived across from each other in on-campus apartments, Watson came to her crying.“She was upset,” Adams, an attorney, said.