Media availability to be held at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 6th, with state transportation employee responsible for providing economic forecasts who refused to lie about the impact of the cap-and-trade program on fuel costs
Complaint
https://citizenactiondefense.org/app/uploads/2024/03/240305-CADF-Smith-Complaint-FINAL.pdf
Press Release
The Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF) filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, March 5th, on behalf of Scott Smith, who earlier last year was pressured by the Governor’s Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Department of Transportation to change the numbers in his reports that indicated that the cap-and-trade program was significantly impacting the cost of fuel. This occurred while the Governor was publicly accusing the fuel industry of lying about the cost of the program. When Smith refused to change his numbers, he was forced out of state service.
In December of 2023, CADF filed a tort claim form and sent a demand letter formally notifying the state of Smith’s claim. The state has so far refused to pay the claim or present a counteroffer, and the 60-day statutory time period has elapsed, so filing the lawsuit is the next step in the process. The suit asserts four causes of action: two statutory whistleblower retaliation claims, one wrongful termination claim, and a negligence claim. The suit seeks an unspecified amount of damages, including loss of wages and pension, loss of reputation, and punitive damages.
Media availability is scheduled to be held virtually at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, and Scott Smith will make statements alongside his counsel and take questions from the media. Contact Paige Jaramillo for the virtual meeting information at [email protected].
“I did my job, refused to ‘jimmy the numbers,’ and was shown the door by an agency that I served with integrity, in a field that I’d worked in for decades. This is not right,” said Smith. “All I am looking for is to be fairly compensated for what the state took from me in what would have been the last few years of my career.”
“We are proud to continue this fight for Scott and all of the other state employees like him who want to do their jobs without being bullied for political reasons,” said Jackson Maynard, Executive Director and Counsel for CADF. “We gave the state the chance to do the right thing without the need for litigation and they declined. We look forward to the discovery process and proving Mr. Smith’s claims in court.”
For more information:
Jackson Maynard
Executive Director, Citizen Action Defense Fund
Cell: (850) 519-3495
Email: [email protected]