Murmurs: Sincerest Form of Flattery?

1. High-profile Portland lawyer Nena Cook is in a competitive race for an open Oregon Supreme Court seat against Oregon Court of Appeals Judge Timothy Sercombe and Multnomah County Judge Richard Baldwin. Her campaign pitch might need improvement, given the way she promotes some of her legal work. On the website of her firm, Sussman Shank LLP, Cook describes defeating claims by “an injured veteran” and “two former female employees who were pregnant at the time of their termination” on behalf of employer clients. Cook tells WW she wasn’t bragging about defeating vulnerable foes but instead illustrating for potential clients that she is experienced in various facets of employment law. “The laws that apply depend on the characteristics of the individual,” Cook says. “That it is all I was trying to convey.”

1. Buehler? Buehler? His name is not yet as familiar as a famous movie line, but big donors to Dr. Knute Buehler’s campaign for secretary of state are making sure the Bend orthopedic surgeon will have enough cash to get his name out there before the November election. Seneca Jones Timber Co. kicked in $12,500 last week—the biggest outside donation yet to the Republican candidate. Buehler, 47, is now sitting on $219,000, almost twice the amount the incumbent, Democrat Kate Brown, has in her campaign account.

1. Multnomah County has settled with a man who was arrested for reckless driving and disorderly conduct and then, he says, was beaten by jail deputies. Mark Nyberg, 55, was arrested April 1, 2010; the sheriff’s office says deputies had to restrain him after they wouldn’t allow him to use a wheelchair. (X-rays showed he had a broken foot.) Nyberg alleged that deputies tackled him, stomped his face, bent back his fingers until they swelled and twisted his broken ankle until the pain caused him to lose control of his bowels. Photos of Nyberg after the incident show bruises on his face and neck, including some shaped like boot prints. Nyberg sought $148,000. The county, without admitting wrongdoing, paid $55,000 to make the case go away.

1. Here at WW, we often find ourselves flattered by all the imitators out there. We’ve especially had to get used to other media ripping us off over the years. But perhaps this is going too far: ESPN Radio 710 AM in Los Angeles is promoting a sports medicine show called “Weekend Warrior.” The weekly show is being promoted with a “WW” logo that looks a lot like ours. As in, exactly like ours. WW adopted its current logo in 2007. ESPN’s logo is, well, newer. 

WWeek 2015