County to pay $99,000 to ex-employee

Snohomish County has settled a lawsuit filed by a former employee who said she was retaliated against for not working on the county clerk’s 1999 election campaign.

The county agreed to pay $99,000 to Kellie Jean Weiss, who quit in 2002 after working about 10 years in the domestic violence unit.

Along with the county, Snohomish County Clerk Pam Daniels and one of her top aides were named as defendants.

Weiss claimed she was punished for refusing to work on Daniels’ election campaign. Weiss claimed she quit after she was demoted, and attempts were made to dismantle the unit, according to a complaint originally filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.

The case was later moved to King County Superior Court, and the settlement was reached earlier this month – about a week before the scheduled trial.

Stress and anxiety in the workplace caused Weiss to take repeated leaves of absence because she worked in a hostile environment “resulting from mismanagement,” the complaint alleged.

Weiss’ Seattle lawyer, Mary Ruth Mann, said Friday the lawsuit resulted in improvements in how the unit is run.

“All I can say at this juncture is I’m happy the case was resolved,” Daniels said.

Deputy prosecutor Bradley Neunzig said the out-of-court settlement and payment was a business decision. It could have cost the county a lot more if the case had gone to trial, Neunzig said.

“It would have been a heck of a risk for us to take that to trial unless you have a slam-dunk case,” he said.

Statistically, employers lose 60 percent of the time in similar employment cases, he said.

Neunzig also cited state law that requires defendants to pay attorney fees in employment cases if a jury finds for the former employee.

In this case, attorney fees alone could have amounted to more than the settlement amount, he said.

Although the lawsuit is over, the Snohomish County executive’s office said it continues to probe the allegations.

Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.