[10] The filed charges allege that Ravenel purchased less than 500 grams of cocaine through an intermediary in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2005, prior to his election as treasurer but after his abortive entry in the 2004 Senate race.
[citation needed] Ravenel had also been volunteering for the Rudolph Giuliani presidential campaign, serving as his South Carolina state chairman.
[13][14] Ravenel underwent a rehabilitation program in Arizona, and then returned to plead guilty to "conspiring to buy and distribute less than 100 grams of cocaine" in September 2007.
[17] On Monday, July 14, 2014, Thomas Ravenel submitted more than 17,000 signatures, officially placing him on the ballot as an independent candidate against incumbent senator Lindsey Graham.
Perkins claims her mother later told her that Ravenel "stuck his penis in her face" and held her arms back while sticking his fingers inside her vagina and anus.
[23] According to Perkins, her mother is unable to publicly discuss the case due to a non-disclosure agreement negotiated by attorney Gloria Allred as part of an alleged $200,000 settlement with Ravenel.
However, Perkins, who claims to be a witness to the mediation process between her mother and Ravenel, was not bound to such an agreement and therefore able to publicly disclose the details of the case.
[24] Richard P. Terbrusch, Ravenel's attorney, denied Perkins' allegations, stating that his "client enjoys a certain degree of fame and unfortunately has become—unfairly—a target for an individual who has, in my opinion, dubious motivations.
"[25] Bravo and Southern Charm production company, Haymaker, announced on May 4, 2018, that it was taking the "allegations very seriously" and launching its own investigation into their validity.
In February 2019, Dawn Ledwell amended her original summons and complaint through the courts where the sexual contact is no longer listed.
He also settled a civil suit with Ledwell, agreeing to donate $80,000 in her name to a charity for sexual assault survivors in lieu of paying her damages.