Douglas County, OR

Douglas County, OR: (Jul-19-07) Kelly Smith, a former employee in the Clerk's Office, brought a lawsuit against Douglas County, claiming that she was wrongfully fired from her post in 2006. Smith, who had been employed by the Clerk's Office for nearly eight years, was fired May 19, 2006, after a stack of tax documents dealing with the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians was found in her possession. Smith denied doing anything improper. In a tort claim filed against the county in November 2006, Smith said she was matching formats off the documents with codes on a separate fee schedule. Smith claimed County Clerk Barbara Nielsen took action against her because of her political associations, based upon the activities of her father, former Sheriff Norm Neal. Neal worked to elect Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman and former Commissioner Dan Van Slyke. In a settlement reached, Douglas County commissioners agreed to pay Smith $40,000 to settle claims. As part of the settlement, former Clerk Doyle Shaver wrote a letter of recommendation for Smith. Smith will also be allowed to apply for any county openings other than in the Clerk's Office. [NEW-REVIEW: CLERK TERMINATION]

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Published on Jul-21-07