Pete HegsethPresident-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of defense, paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault to avoid the threat of a frivolous lawsuit, according to Hegseth’s attorney.

Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after an appearance at a Republican Women’s Speech in Monterey, California, according to a statement issued by the town hall. No charges have been filed.

His lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the sexual encounter was consensual and that the woman who made the allegation to police days later was “the aggressor.” That claim was not confirmed in the statement issued by the city.

Parlatore said a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidentiality agreement several years after the police investigation because Hegseth she was worried she was set to file a lawsuit she feared could have led to his firing from Fox News, where he was a popular host. Parlatore did not disclose the amount of the payment.

“He was falsely accused, and my position is that he was the victim of blackmail,” Parlatore said, calling it a case of “successful extortion.”

The Washington Post previously reported details of the payment. The newspaper also said it had obtained a copy of a memo sent to Trump’s transition team last week by a woman who said she was friends with the accuser detailing allegations of sexual assault.

Trump’s transition team had no immediate comment Sunday on the memo.

The person who reported the assault — whose name, age and gender were not released — had bruises on her right thigh, according to the city’s statement. No weapons were involved in the encounter, the person told police.

The incident occurred sometime between 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 7 and 7 a.m. the following morning, according to the city’s statement.

Hegseth was in Monterey at the time to address the California Federation of Republican Women during a banquet at the group’s biennial convention, according to social media posts and promotional materials at the time.

Monterey officials said they did not have more details included in the police report because it included analysis and conclusions by law enforcement authorities that are exempt from release under state public records law.

At the time of the allegations in 2017, Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce with his second wife, with whom he has three children. She filed for divorce after having a child with a Fox News producer, who is now his wife, according to court records and Hegseth’s social media posts. His first marriage ended in 2009, also after Hegseth’s infidelity, according to court records.

After the allegations surfaced last week, Steven Cheung, a Trump transition spokesman who he was appointed director of communications at the White Houseissued a statement saying the president-elect is “proclaiming high caliber and highly qualified candidates to serve in his administration.”

“Mr. Hegseth has strongly denied all allegations and no charges have been filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can begin on day one to make America safe and great again,” he Cheung said.