Sen.Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, at the Oregon Legislature on Feb. 12, 2024. (Jordan Gale/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
The Oregon Legislature and two Democratic lawmakers didn’t retaliate against a former staffer who was twice fired after two short stints working with different lawmakers, a federal jury determined.
After a week of testimony, the jury on Monday rejected allegations from Laura Hanson that her bosses refused to provide accommodations for mental and physical disabilities and fired her for requesting accommodations. Hanson worked for less than two years as Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin’s chief of staff and mere weeks as Rep. Khanh Pham’s legislative assistant.
Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, attended the trial all last week and said she was relieved by the verdict. It concurred with earlier determinations by an independent investigator hired by the Legislature, as well as the bipartisan Senate Conduct Committee.
“It’s been a really long time – this started before COVID – so it’s nice to have that chapter closed and be ready to just move on,” she said.