Post by Logan on Apr 10, 2016 20:09:23 GMT -6
Lawsuit says Koster's rights were violated when he was ousted
SEATTLE — Controversy over how John Koster was abruptly ousted in 2014 as Snohomish County's first ombudsman has now blossomed into a federal civil rights lawsuit.
Lawyers for Koster this week filed the case in U.S. District Court in Seattle. They allege he was wrongfully terminated and his First Amendment rights trampled when John Lovick, then the county executive, convinced a majority on the county council to not support Koster's continued employment.
Koster, a Republican, was hired as ombudsman by Lovick, a Democrat, in January 2014. He lost his county job roughly a year after opening the office when Lovick took issue with Koster signing on to a fundraising letter for the Freedom Foundation, a conservative Olympia think tank.
The letter was critical of union leaders. Some unionized county employees complained to Lovick's office.
Read more: www.heraldnet.com/article/20160409/NEWS01/160409170/Lawsuit-says-Kosters-rights-were-violated-when-he-was-ousted
SEATTLE — Controversy over how John Koster was abruptly ousted in 2014 as Snohomish County's first ombudsman has now blossomed into a federal civil rights lawsuit.
Lawyers for Koster this week filed the case in U.S. District Court in Seattle. They allege he was wrongfully terminated and his First Amendment rights trampled when John Lovick, then the county executive, convinced a majority on the county council to not support Koster's continued employment.
Koster, a Republican, was hired as ombudsman by Lovick, a Democrat, in January 2014. He lost his county job roughly a year after opening the office when Lovick took issue with Koster signing on to a fundraising letter for the Freedom Foundation, a conservative Olympia think tank.
The letter was critical of union leaders. Some unionized county employees complained to Lovick's office.
Read more: www.heraldnet.com/article/20160409/NEWS01/160409170/Lawsuit-says-Kosters-rights-were-violated-when-he-was-ousted