It’s almost mum’s the word for Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks since a former deputy prosecutor filed a $525,000 damage claim, and a whistleblower complaint seeking $425,000, alleging politicking in the prosecutor’s office.
An attorney for former deputy prosecutor Amy Dempsey filed the claim and complaint last week. In it, Dempsey said Banks pressured and harassed her to support his reelection campaign last year.
Banks said he couldn’t respond to the allegations, but sent a brief e-mail to reporters earlier this week disputing Dempsey’s claims.
In the e-mail, Banks asserted that he never, at any time, pressured any deputy prosecutors to support him when he ran for reelection.
“I am looking forward to an opportunity to respond to her allegations in a legal forum,” Banks wrote.
“I believe once the true facts are known, it will be obvious that I did nothing wrong or improper,” he wrote.
“At no time did I pressure any deputy prosecutor to support me politically. All of my deputies, including Ms. Dempsey, had complete freedom to support either candidate, or neither candidate, as they saw fit,” Banks wrote.
The damage claim, filed on
Jan. 19, alleges that Banks and Andrea Vingo, chief deputy prosecutor, pressured Dempsey to support Banks’ reelection bid and dogged her when she didn’t.
A damage claim is a necessary first step before a lawsuit can be filed.
Whistleblower claims are resolved through an administrative trial before a state-appointed administrative law judge.
Dempsey’s whistleblower complaint was also filed with the county on Jan. 19.
Both sides could agree to consolidate the complaints into one case in Superior Court. A settlement is another possible outcome.
Moote, however, said he expects the case will ultimately end up in Island County Superior Court.
Moote said he doesn’t expect the county to come back with a reasonable offer.
“The amount we are asking for is consistent with these types of cases,” Moote said.
“We have good strong witnesses supporting Amy’s case, so we will file suit in Superior Court for restitution,” he said.
Moote said Dempsey was under pressure from her first day on the job — she started working for the county in June 2006 — to support Banks for reelection. Moote said that when Dempsey did get involved in the campaign, it was to support Banks’ opponent, Steve Selby, because of the way Banks had treated her.
“She wanted to remain neutral. She finally had enough and put her foot down in November,” Moote said.
Although the deputy prosecutors’ union had earlier voted to support Selby, Dempsey did not cast a vote, Moote said.
“She was never active with the union, although they may have taken out dues in her paycheck,” Moote said.
According to Banks, Dempsey stopped coming to work on Election Day and never came back to work. She was not kept on the prosecutor’s staff when her appointment as a deputy prosecutor expired on Dec. 31, 2006.
The claim for $525,000 asks the county to pay past wages and benefits totaling $15,000, plus future wages and benefits of $100,000. The claim seeks medical expenses of $25,000, incidental damages of $10,000, general damages of $250,000 and punitive damages of $100,000. The claim also seeks $25,000 so Dempsey can repay her student loan.
Dempsey joined the staff of the prosecutor’s office in June, two months after Selby announced his candidacy and was fired from the office.
At the time of her arrival, the prosecutor’s race had split the office, and some employees had already endorsed Selby. The campaign became even more heated as November drew closer, with Selby criticizing Banks’ management style, work load and personal demeanor.
