Neils' federal lawsuit dropped

SPOKANE - A former Grant County employee dropped her federal civil suit against the county and her former employer, Prosecutor Angus Lee.

Cathleen Neils, a former administrative assistant in the Grant County Prosecutor's Office accused Lee of violating her civil rights and the Family Medical Leave Act when he fired her in February 2009. She filed the lawsuit in US District Court in Spokane.

She filed a similar lawsuit in Chelan County Superior Court in February, claiming he violated Washington's Family Leave Act.

The federal lawsuit claimed Lee punished her after she sent a letter to the commissioners opposing the prosecutor's appointment to the position. The letter stated he was too inexperienced to serve and accused him of misappropriating money.

Neils claimed Lee also started pressuring her after she refused to discipline an employee.

In his response, Lee alleges the employee was playing solitaire on the computer, a violation on the computer use policy, according to his response. When he asked Neils to "correct the behavior," the administrative assistant "became openly insubordinate and refused to follow her direct supervisor's instruction and further claimed that there was no policy against playing games on county computers."

Neils claimed the treatment caused her to need a medical provider, who diagnosed her with depression and an adjustment disorder with anxiety, according to the complaint. The provider requested a short term medical leave. She reportedly gave her request to former Chief Deputy Prosecutor Steve Hallstrom, who approved it.

Lee reportedly called her Feb. 5, 2009, asking her about "the process she had employed to initiate her medical leave as well as regarding the time she anticipated being off work," according to the complaint.

The next day Lee and a human resources representative called Neils and asked her to resign. When she refused, he fired her, according to the complaint.

Neils' attorney, Steven Lacy, repeated the claims in the Chelan County lawsuit.

The Columbia Basin Herald was unable to reach Lacy before deadline.

"I have always maintained that I have acted in the best interest of the people of this County and was never in violation of Mrs. Neils' civil rights," Lee stated. "The dismissal ... is an absolute vindication."

Grant County commissioners Richard Stevens, Carolann Swartz and Cindy Carter did not have any comment because of the pending lawsuit in Chelan County.