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Michael Rodgers, the former state information technology manager who refused a request to delete 5,000 of former Gov. John Kitzhaber's emails from state servers, resigned effective Sept. 18.
A settlement Rodgers reached with the Oregon Department of Justice on
Monday will pay him $286,200, which is two years' salary. He will also
receive a payout for 300 hours of accrued vacation; $12,158 in legal
fees; and health insurance through December 2015.
In exchange, Rodgers agreed
not to sue the state.
WW published a story about Kitzhaber's assistant's request for the emails to be deleted on Feb. 12. The next day, Kitzhaber announced he would resign, the first Oregon governor to leave office amid scandal in the modern era.
That same afternoon, Feb. 13, FBI agents served subpoenas in Salem, seeking a wide range of information from state agencies and Kitzhaber's staff about allegations of influence peddling by Kitzhaber and First Lady Cylvia Hayes. The federal investigation continues.
Rodgers has been on paid administrative leave since Feb. 20. That's when the state sent him home and began a sweeping state police criminal investigation into who leaked to WW the emails that Rodgers refused to delete.
WWeek 2015