Durham, N.C. — A civil suit was recently filed against former Durham County public defender Bob Brown.

According to court documents, three women -- Danielle Brown, Janice Ingram and Rachel Allen -- claim Brown groped them and made inappropriate comments toward them.

The women claim Brown tried to pressure them to have sex. When they rebuffed his advances, the women said their workload increased.

Brown was appointed in 1990 as Durham's first public defender. He resigned from his job in December 2005 after similar accusations were made.

An attorney for the women said they may seek to file criminal charges in the case. The women are also suing the public defender's office and the state.

Brown said he had no comment because he had not yet seen the lawsuit.