Tina Kotek

ethics-violation · 2018-08-01 · Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) · Settlement — Oregon Legislature paid $1.3 million to nine harassment victims; BOLI formally found that Kotek and Senate President Courtney 'failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action to unlawful employment practices based on sex.' No personal monetary penalty against Kotek; settlement paid by the Legislature as an institution.

Sources: Willamette Week · OPB · OPB · KOIN 6

abuse-of-office · 2019-01-01 · A federal class-action lawsuit (Wyatt B., et al. v. Kotek, et al., Case No. 6:19-cv-00556-AA, D. Or.), originally filed in 2019 against Kotek's predecessor on behalf of children and youth in Oregon's foster care system, alleged systemic constitutional violations including inadequate placements, maltreatment, and lack of timely case planning. Kotek was substituted as a defendant in her official capacity as governor. On the eve of trial in May 2024, the state (including Kotek's administration) entered into a settlement agreement requiring appointment of a court-monitored independent 'Neutral Expert' to assess and report on foster-care outcomes, including maltreatment, placement quality, re-entry rates, and health-assessment timeliness, with initial and annual reviews. The state did not admit wrongdoing or liability as part of the settlement. A 2025 Ninth Circuit ruling clarified the settlement's scope, expanding which children in ODHS custody are covered by its protections. · Settlement agreement establishing court-monitored oversight and remedial measures for the state's child welfare system; state did not admit liability. Compliance monitoring is ongoing under the agreement.

Sources: Oregon Public Broadcasting · Disability Rights Oregon · Oregon Department of Human Services

ethics-violation · 2023-08-01 · A state audit flagged 'minor' and reportedly 'unintentional' apparent violations of state ethics law by Gov. Kotek's office, including state-paid parking (about $65/month for First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson in Salem and $315/month for a D.C.-based staffer), roughly $615 spent on tickets to four cultural/music events, and a $9,330 employee-recognition dinner reception at the governor's Mahonia Hall residence in August 2023 attended by about 180 state employees. The Secretary of State's Audits Division referred the findings to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission on its last day in office (January 2025). The Commission voted to open a review in late January 2025 and, after several months, notified Kotek's chief of staff by letter dated May 30, 2025 that it was closing the matter without pursuing penalties or further action, concluding the spending did not rise to an enforceable violation. · Investigation closed May 2025 with no penalties, fines, or findings of an enforceable ethics violation.

Sources: Oregon Capital Chronicle · KOIN · Grants Pass Tribune

abuse-of-office · 2023-12-01 · In December 2023, Gov. Kotek issued an order revoking a conditional commutation that then-Gov. Kate Brown had granted to Terri Lee Brown in December 2020, sending Brown back to prison. Brown had already completed all of her sentences by February 2023, before Kotek's revocation order. Brown challenged the revocation, and in May 2024 the Oregon Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Kotek lacked the legal authority to revoke the commutation after the underlying sentence had expired, finding the imprisonment unlawful and ordering Brown's immediate release. In January 2026, Brown filed a $10 million civil lawsuit against Kotek, Washington County DA Kevin Barton, clemency coordinator Nicole Townsend, and other officials, alleging malicious prosecution, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violation of her constitutional rights arising from the wrongful reincarceration. That civil suit remains pending; the state is expected to raise sovereign immunity and official-capacity defenses. · Oregon Supreme Court ruled the governor exceeded her authority and ordered Brown's release (resolved, May 2024); follow-on $10 million civil damages suit filed January 2026 remains pending/unresolved.

Sources: Oregon Public Broadcasting · Justia (Oregon Supreme Court) · Oregon Public Broadcasting · Jefferson Public Radio (IJPR)

ethics-violation · 2024-03-25 · The Oregon Government Ethics Commission received two complaints in March 2024 alleging Kotek violated state ethics law (ORS Chapter 244) in connection with plans to create a paid 'Office of the First Spouse' for her wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson, amid concerns about nepotism and use of taxpayer funds. Commission staff recommended dismissal after finding no evidence Kotek Wilson stood to benefit financially or that anti-nepotism laws were violated, though several commissioners criticized the investigation as incomplete (staff had not interviewed departed aides who raised the original concerns). A motion to open a formal investigation deadlocked 4-4 and failed, and the complaints were dismissed without a finding of a violation. · Dismissed on a 4-4 deadlocked commission vote; no ethics violation found, no formal investigation opened.

Sources: Oregon Public Broadcasting · Willamette Week · Oregon Capital Chronicle