Law firm hired to investigate economic development agency
Law & Politics
The Oregon Department of Justice has hired a law firm to investigate allegations of discrimination and mismanagement at the state's
economic development agency, Business Oregon.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that in an anonymous letter to Gov. Kate Brown earlier this month, a group of employees described
hostile working conditions and accused leadership of gender bias and misusing taxpayer funds. The letter asked the governor to
undertake an investigation and said the employees had retained Portland labor attorney Dana Sullivan "to help ensure employment rights
are protected as a result of this complaint."
The Justice Department will be supervising the probe. Its agreement with the Portland office of Perkins Coie provides for a maximum cost
of $50,000. The budget could go quickly, as the firm's partners command $525 to $630 an hour, and paralegals and associates bill out at
$150 to $445 an hour.
The agreement specifically directs Perkins Coie to undertake "an attorney-client privileged investigation," meaning the Justice Department
or Business Oregon could try to exempt the findings from disclosure under public records law. It also says the law firm could be called on
to provide legal advice to the DOJ, the governor's office or the "benefitting agency" - Business Oregon.
The Justice department did not respond to questions about the agreement, whether it would make the findings public or whether that
decision would be made by Business Oregon.
Related listings
-
Suspect in vandalism to Jewish boundary heads to court
Law & Politics 06/01/2018A Massachusetts man charged with vandalizing the boundaries of a symbolic Jewish household known as an eruv is heading to court.Police say 28-year-old Yerachmiel Taube, of Sharon, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on charges including malicious des...
-
Trump administration defends Keystone XL pipeline in court
Law & Politics 05/30/2018Trump administration attorneys defended the disputed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline in federal court on Thursday against environmentalists and Native American groups that want to derail the project.President Barack Obama rejected the 1,179-mile (1,80...
-
Arkansas officials ask court to keep voter ID law in place
Law & Politics 04/11/2018Arkansas officials asked the state's highest court on Monday to allow them to enforce a voter ID law in the May 22 primary despite a judge blocking the measure and calling it unconstitutional.Secretary of State Mark Martin asked the Arkansas Supreme ...
Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC
A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party
Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party
However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.