New sexual assault allegations surface against real estate mogul

A fourth civil lawsuit has been filed against prominent Sacramento real estate investor Ethan Conrad, accusing him of sexual assault, marking the latest in a series of legal actions brought against the commercial property owner over the past six months.

The most recent complaint, filed Monday in Sacramento County Superior Court, alleges that Conrad repeatedly made sexual advances in exchange for prospective employment at the offices of Ethan Conrad Properties, violating California’s business and professions code.

The plaintiff, a Sacramento County resident, further claims that Conrad got her drunk last month and engaged in what she described in court documents as a “violent and traumatic sexual act.”

In one alleged encounter from April, the woman said Conrad offered her alcohol and solicited her for sex. When she declined, saying “stop” and “don’t do that,” he allegedly continued to kiss her and attempted to have sex with her.

Her attorney, Ognian Gavrilov, confirmed that the plaintiff has reported the matter to law enforcement. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged an active investigation into the allegations.

“The investigation has just begun, and no comment can be made at this time,” said spokesperson Sgt. Amar Gandhi.

This latest complaint follows three previous lawsuits, including one in January accusing Conrad of sexual battery, another in December, and the first in November. In total, four women have now filed civil suits against Conrad alleging sexual assault, battery, harassment, and coercion.

In one of the earlier cases, a woman who said she had worked with Conrad since 2008 claimed that during a dinner in 2011, he drugged her champagne, took her back to his home, and raped her. Conrad has not been criminally charged in any of the cases.

Conrad has denied all allegations, and in two of the cases, has responded by filing cross-complaints, accusing the women of attempting to extort him for money.

“Mr. Conrad is confident that this legally meritless and frivolous suit will be promptly dismissed and looks forward to conclusively prevailing in court,” Conrad’s attorneys told KCRA 3 Investigates.

In a separate statement issued by Conrad himself, he said: “Let me be absolutely clear: these allegations are completely false and are nothing more than an attempt to extort money from me. The only thing I’m guilty of is working hard and being successful.”

“It’s truly unfortunate that when people achieve success through hard work, others sometimes attempt to tear them down rather than focusing on achieving their own goals through their own efforts,” he continued. “I trust the legal process to resolve these matters and remain committed to defending myself against these baseless claims.”

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In response, attorney Gavrilov stated he now intends to sue Conrad for defamation, arguing that the suggestion of extortion was “outrageous and literally the opposite of what happened.”

“At no time did we improperly use the threat of filing the Action as an attempt to extort Mr. Conrad,” Gavrilov said. “Rather, before filing, we sent a standard written demand, which was rejected. Thereafter, we commenced the Action. By accusing us of extortion, Mr. Conrad has publicly defamed us by falsely accusing us of the commission of crime.”

Ethan Conrad is a well-known figure in the Sacramento business community and owns one of California’s largest commercial real estate brokerages, Ethan Conrad Properties. In October, he made headlines after acquiring a high-rise building in downtown Sacramento.

Despite the ongoing civil litigation, Conrad has not yet responded in court to the two most recent lawsuits. In the first, filed in November, his response included a cross-claim alleging the encounter was consensual, and that the plaintiff falsely accused him in an attempt to secure a financial settlement.

That case was initially reviewed by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in 2022. Authorities later stated that Conrad was not suspected of any crimes following the investigation.

The lawsuits against Conrad are ongoing. No court rulings have yet been issued in any of the civil cases.

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