Three weeks ago Sharon Bialek became the first alleged accuser to actually speak out against Cain. Now, the ABC7 I-Team has learned, she is being evicted from her suburban townhouse, adding fuel to Cain's suggestion that Bialek had severe financial problems and was trying to strike it rich by making up stories about him.
Facing a Dec. 15 service deadline, deputies first attempted to serve Ms. Bialek on Tuesday but she wasn't at her Glenview home to accept it. Authorities returned later Tuesday night and served the papers to her 13-year old son, according to sheriff's department spokesman Frank Bilecki. The teenager accepted her summons which requires a court appearance.
The forcible eviction action is for non-payment of rent and was filed by her landlord according to court records. The filing reveals that Bialek owes $7,500 in back rent. Documents show that she signed a lease in February and required to pay $3000 per month.
During the eviction process, county officials say she and her son will be allowed to remain in the townhouse at least for several weeks
Earlier this month the I-Team reported that Bialek had twice filed for bankruptcy and was facing numerous current liens.
Following Bialek's allegations, other women came forward telling of similar encounters with Mr. Cain. On Monday, an Atlanta woman Ginger White claimed to have had a 13-year affair with the former Godfather's Pizza CEO. It is an affair Mr. Cain has denied.
White, 46, is standing by her claim that she had a long, "on-and-off" "casual affair" with Cain. On Wednesday she showed ABC News phone records that she says show text messages back-and-forth between her and Cain on several dates as recently as October and November.
Cain said Wednesday he will make a decision about whether to stay in the Republican presidential race in the next few days, and it would hinge on what his wife says.
The former businessman took to Fox News this afternoon saying that he is reassessing his family's feelings, but he wouldn't answer the question of whether he will still be in the race a week from now.
"A week from now, I will have made a final decision," Cain said, adding that the decision depends on his wife of 43 years.
"It has had a very damaging effect on her emotionally, because of the way some of the story has been presented," he said. "She gets upset when she sees the implications and the distortions by some people in the media."
The businessman-turned-political hopeful has now been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment, said he cannot unequivocally say there might not be another allegation.
"I can't sit here and say, after working in the business for 40 years, that someone else may not come up with another trumped-up charge," he said on Fox. "This is about bring down Herman Cain."
Cain however, when questioned on Fox News, declined to place blame on one person or on the Obama administration.
While the candidate says he is reassessing whether to continue his campaign, support in early voting states appears to be waning.
New Hampshire state lawmaker William Panek switched his endorsement from Cain to Newt Gingrich, saying he feels like "we were being lied to."
In Iowa, a conservative radio host said on his show that Cain should drop out and "go and be with his wife and family." Other conservatives expressed concerns about his credibility, the Des Moines Register reported.
Cain's campaign sent out a fundraising appeal insisting the latest accusation of a long-standing affair is "completely false." Some political observers say that is a sign the newest reports of a prolonged out-of-wedlock relationship have affected donations.
In Iowa on Friday Mr. Cain's campaign will release a TV ad claiming that since he "fixed broken companies, he can fix our economy. Need POTUS CEO, not politician," his Iowa campaign manager tweeted.
Rivals' calls for Cain to explain the allegations are growing. On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said that Cain "needs to address these allegations. That's the bottom line."
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman flatly stated that Cain should consider dropping out of the race, the first in the Republican field to do so.
Huntsman told the Boston Globe on Tuesday that "Given the bandwidth that has been taken out of the discussion of any other issues pertinent to this campaign, a reconsideration might be in order."
