County hands out six figures to settle lawsuit

Published 7:28 am Tuesday, May 7, 2024

OYSTERVILLE — The settlement between Pacific County and Dan Driscoll has been finalized about 11 years after it was filed. The lawsuit was slow to play out through the judicial process, and the deal ended the incredibly long journey.

Driscoll filed the lawsuit on June 7, 2013, alleging many public records violations regarding unfilled or delayed requests. The lawsuit was filed under three amendments, the most recent one being filed on Oct. 24, 2016, alleging approximately 70 public records violations.

According to public records, Pacific County is paying Driscoll $250,000 to settle the lawsuit instead of taking it to trial.

“Within no more than five (5) business days after payment of the settlement amount and confirmation that the Defendant has performed in compliance with the terms in subsection three (3) and four (4), above, Plaintiff and Defendant Pacific County, by and through their attorney’s, shall execute and file a Stipulation and Order of Dismissal of All Claims Against Pacific County…,” the settlement states.

The settlement does not acknowledge any wrongdoing by either party and specifies that it in no way constitutes any admission of guilt. The deal was spearheaded by Pacific County Prosecutor Michael Rothman and former chief civil deputy prosecutor Katrina King — who resigned following the deal.

The lawsuit sat primarily dormant under several previous prosecutors, including Mark McClain and Ben Haslam. McClain and Haslam resigned as prosecutors during their terms and subsequently accepted jobs out of the area.

“I am glad that after nearly 13 years of legal disputes, we have reached a settlement that brings it all to an end,” Driscoll said. The lawsuit originated from a lengthy land-use dispute over Driscoll’s longtime family-owned Oysterville Sea Farms.

Driscoll’s settlement is the second major lawsuit the county has settled in the past seven years.

The county and Todd Foss settled a years-long lawsuit on March 18, 2019, after he was abruptly removed from office as undersheriff during Scott Johnson’s tenure leading the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office. Johnson fired him without specified cause, and he turned to public records to ascertain why.

Foss walked away from the lawsuit with a $450,000 settlement that mostly went to legal and counsel fees.