Case against prosecutor dismissed

EPHRATA - A former Grant County employee dropped her civil suit against the county, her former boss and the human resources director.

Attorneys for Amy Wen dismissed her federal lawsuit, which claimed the county and Prosecutor Angus Lee violated her civil rights and Washington public policy when she was laid off in 2009.

Wen was one of the legal secretaries laid off a month after Lee took office.

Wen's attorney, Steve Lacy, said they decided to drop the case after an earlier decision by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Shea. The judge ruled in the case of former Deputy Prosecutor Teresa Chen that Lee was protected from federal claims because Chen was a "confidential" employee.

"Mr. Lee is apparently immune from civil rights claims when it pertains to people who serve under him," Lacy said.

Wen worked as a legal secretary for former Deputy Prosecutor Carolyn Jones, according to the complaint. Jones was one of several deputy prosecutors opposing Lee's appointment to fill the office after John Knodell was elected as a superior court judge.

Wen reportedly met or exceeded her job requirements in her last review, and had more seniority than some of the other secretaries in the office, according to the compliant.

"The termination notice indicated that Wen would be considered for recall if a suitable position became available during the six months after the notice," according to the complaint. "Despite appropriate positions becoming available, Wen was not hired."

Lee stated having the case dismissed is great news, since he can focus on taking cases to trial for Grant County.

"Ms. Wen filed this case against me some time ago but when she was deposed, she voluntarily dismissed her case without the county having to pay her a single penny," he stated.