Lawsuit against mental health agency settled
The Daily AstorianJun 16, 2018
Two former employees at
The terms of the settlement were not publicly disclosed. A trial in federal court in Portland that had been scheduled for late June has been canceled.
Attorneys for Holmes and Studinarz did not respond to messages seeking comment.
The lawsuit was filed in 2016 against the mental health agency and Sumuer Watkins, who was the executive director;
The agency, which holds the contract to provide mental health services in Clatsop County, was under siege at the time over internal divisions and public scrutiny over the quality of care.
A separate federal lawsuit by Cheryl Varese, who worked in the agency’s developmental disabilities unit, alleged retaliation for complaining about unethical and illegal management practices and a hostile work environment. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in March, but