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The top-ranking woman in the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office has filed a notice of intent to sue Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton, alleging Staton created a "hostile work environment" with his behavior toward her and his personal insults toward other local officials.
The tort claim, filed by Chief Deputy Linda Yankee on Jan. 29, includes potentially explosive allegations about Staton's sexually charged references to high-level county officials—including Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill, Multnomah County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Nan Waller, County Attorney Jenny Madkour, and Nancy Bennett, chief of staff to county Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury.
Yankee claims that Staton created a hostile work environment through "offensive sexual comments and derogatory comments about women."
Staton allegedly referred to Bennett as a "blond bimbo," and told a male staff member to stop being "googly-eyed" over County Attorney Madkour. "Have you seen her lately?" Staton allegedly said. "She gained her weight back."
Staton also allegedly ridiculed Judge Waller's appearance. He allegedly described D.A. Underhill's excitement about an issue by saying "Rod was ejaculating all over the table," and described Commissioner Diane McKeel's excitement about another issue by saying "she wet herself." All those named in the claim declined to comment.
Of the five county commissioners, only Jules Bailey, who's running for Portland mayor, would comment.
"I'm very concerned any time allegations of this nature come forward," Bailey says.
It might not come as a shock to learn a career law enforcement officer such as Staton—who joined the sheriff's office in 1989, two years after Yankee—used salty language.
But the filing also alleges Staton "frequently touched Chief Deputy Yankee inappropriately and insisted on hugging Chief Deputy Yankee, while it was his custom to shake hands with her male peers."
The tort claim notice also suggests hostility boiling between the county's elected officials—and highlights a significant structural tension in county government.
Yankee, one of three chief deputies and the highest-ranking woman on Staton's command staff, was responsible for many of the administrative functions of the sheriff's office: records, information technology, training and—most importantly in this complaint—budgeting.
Staton, who was elected to a second four-year term in 2014, is an independent official who makes his own decisions about staffing and other management issues. But the five county commissioners, who are also independently elected, determine the sheriff's budget. For 2015-16, that budget is $118 million, ranking the sheriff's office second only to the county health department ($135 million) among general fund expenditures.
Part of the tension is that the county commission is more interested in human services than jailing people.
The sheriff's office is responsible for running the county's three jails. It also provides law enforcement services to about 45,000 county residents in Troutdale, Wood Village, Maywood Park and part of Sauvie Island.
For years, the county commission and the sheriff have clashed over Staton's overtime spending. Three years ago, the commissioners began requiring Staton to make quarterly reports to them in open meetings.
Yankee's tort claim notice, filed by her attorney, Sean Riddell, includes discussion of such budget tensions.
As Staton's budget officer, Yankee served as liaison to the commission on financial issues. She reportedly clashed with Staton over his 2015 proposal to begin providing law enforcement services to the city of Troutdale.
After a contentious meeting Feb. 12, 2015, about the cost of providing that service, Yankee alleges, Staton "accused Chief Deputy Yankee of providing 'too much' information to County Commissioners regarding the Sheriff Office's budget. The sheriff demanded to know how often Chief Deputy Yankee met with the individual commissioners and what she told them."
After another budget meeting with county commissioners Feb. 17, 2015, Staton and Yankee returned to the sheriff's office. There, Yankee claims, Staton engaged in a "rant where he threatened most of the executive staff and specifically threatened to fire Chief Deputy Yankee if the Sheriff's Office did not stay within budget."
The tort claim says that as well as making sexist remarks, Staton insulted people based on their weight.
Yankee took leave for surgery last summer, and claims that when she returned to work heavier because of her inability to exercise, Staton demoted her and "began to openly fat shame others in front of Chief Deputy Yankee."
"Staton would refer to Undersheriff Tim Moore and Chief Deputy [Jason] Gates as 'fat asses' in Chief Deputy Yankee's presence," the tort claim says. "Staton would often refer to judges, commissioners and other county employees in derogatory terms if they were overweight."
Through a spokesman, Staton declined to comment, citing pending litigation. But he sent an email to staff notifying them of the tort claim notice. "I am proud of this agency," Staton wrote Feb. 2. "We have come a long way."
Staton, first appointed in November 2009, has had an uneven tenure. He returned stability to the office after the forced resignations of his two predecessors, Bernie Giusto and Bob Skipper. But his agency led the unsuccessful investigation into the June 2010 disappearance of Kyron Horman, then a 7-year-old student at Skyline Elementary in unincorporated Northwest Portland.
In 2012, the county settled a whistleblower lawsuit by Capt. Bret Elliot. Elliot, now retired, stills talks to former colleagues and says he's not surprised by Yankee's allegations.
"He's a former military person and an autocrat who has difficulty relating to his staff," Elliot says.
Last month, Staton produced a 30-page glossy magazine highlighting his office's accomplishments.
"Every member of our community deserves to feel safe and have confidence in the men and women who protect that safety," Staton writes in the preface. "Being true to the guiding principles of our profession in excellence, accountability, and equity is a strong foundation for keeping our communities safe."
Willamette Week
