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The Oregon Public Defense Commission is under additional pressure to fire its top lawyer, Eric Deitrick, following a new allegation of retaliation against a female co-worker.
According to a “separation statement” obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon and shared with WW, Deitrick sidelined one of his subordinates, Whitney Perez, limiting her work assignments, after she expressed concerns about his conduct in 2021. Perez submitted an official complaint, then quit and filed the paperwork to obtain unemployment benefits.
“When I raised concerns about his behavior and allegations of mismanagement and abuse of authority, he further retaliated against me and removed a project and other work from me,” she wrote in the statement explaining her reasons for quitting.
Deitrick has faced similar accusations of retaliation before, some of which were found credible following an independent investigation that concluded this summer. Perez’s complaint was not part of that investigation, which focused on Deitrick’s treatment of contractors and not employees.
Related: Report Finds Top Lawyer at State Public Defense Agency Retaliated Against Two Female Lawyers
But Deitrick, so far, has kept his job. In fact, he hasn’t received any disciplinary action, according to The Oregonian. The newspaper reported that agency director Jessica Kampfe sent Deitrick a letter in April warning him to “not retaliate or give the perception of retaliation” in official correspondence.
Deitrick is general counsel for the Oregon Public Defense Commission, which contracts with local lawyers and nonprofits to defend indigent clients. The system isn’t currently working, leaving hundreds of defendants unrepresented in violation of their constitutional rights. Deitrick, the investigation showed, wielded significant influence in how that system works, weighing in on which lawyers got contracts and how much they were paid.
Now, the ACLU of Oregon, which originally asked for the independent investigation in 2021 after fielding complaints from female lawyers, is amping up pressure on Kampfe to take more decisive action. In a letter sent Wednesday, three of the nonprofit’s directors demanded Deitrick be fired.
“After an investigation substantiates that the General Counsel engaged in retaliatory conduct against multiple people, the General Counsel should no longer be in their position,” it reads. “We request the OPDC immediately take the only appropriate action in this situation: terminate Deitrick’s employment.”
The ACLU is also levying new accusations against Kampfe, who the organization says has attempted to downplay the seriousness of the allegations against Deitrick.
Kampfe said in a letter to the agency’s oversight commission, dated Sept. 12, that the wrongdoing happened years ago and that there had been no further complaints since 2021.
That statement, the ACLU directors reply, “is not true.” They point to the contents of the investigation itself, which found that Deitrick had continued “problematic” behavior into 2023.
“OPDC has no further comment,” spokeswoman Lisa Taylor says.