Val T. Hoyle

abuse-of-office · 2019-2020 · Carol Johnson, whom then-Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle hired in 2019 to lead the Bureau of Labor and Industries' (BOLI) civil rights division, alleged she faced a racially hostile workplace, was accused of "cronyism" for hiring Black investigators, received an anonymous package of feces at her home, and was constructively discharged after raising complaints. She filed a federal EEOC complaint in 2019, quit in 2020, and sued in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Hoyle was not personally named as a defendant (the state/BOLI was the defendant) but testified at trial to defend against the allegations of racial bias in her administration. In August 2023 a jury awarded Johnson $1.7 million in damages; in October 2023 a judge ordered the state to additionally pay about $1.1 million in attorney fees and costs. No indication of an appeal was found. · Jury verdict of $1.7 million for the plaintiff; state additionally ordered to pay ~$1.1 million in attorney fees/costs, paid by the state (BOLI), not by Hoyle personally.

Sources: OPB · Jefferson Public Radio (IJPR) · Bloomberg Law · KLCC

abuse-of-office · 2020 · Shaina Pomerantz, who worked about eight months in 2020 at the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) under then-Commissioner Val Hoyle, sued in Multnomah County Circuit Court in June 2021 alleging racial hostility, including a claim that only Black employees had probationary periods extended and that Hoyle personally extended her probation by six months. The state settled the case in fall 2023, shortly before it was to go to trial, for $425,000, and the settlement included an apology letter from Hoyle's successor as Labor Commissioner. Hoyle was not personally named as a defendant. · State paid a $425,000 settlement and issued a formal apology letter to the plaintiff; no admission of personal liability by Hoyle.

Sources: OPB · Oregon Capital Chronicle · Jefferson Public Radio (IJPR)

campaign-finance · 2022-04-30 · A complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission on August 24, 2023 alleged that Hoyle's 2022 campaign committee accepted and retained until May 2023 a total of $5,800 in cash contributions (via seven money orders dated April 22, 2022) from La Mota cannabis-chain founders Rosa Cazares and Aaron Mitchell, exceeding the $100 cash-contribution limit and violating the requirement to promptly refund amounts over that limit. This was one facet of broader scrutiny of Hoyle's ties to La Mota, whose founders also gave over $20,000 to her campaign around the time their nonprofit sought a BOLI grant Hoyle later supported (funds Hoyle's campaign separately returned). On July 3, 2024, the FEC voted to dismiss the complaint and close the file, citing its enforcement-priority factors (including the dollar amount involved) rather than reaching a merits finding of a violation. · FEC dismissed the complaint and closed the file without finding a violation or imposing a penalty.

Sources: FEC.gov (MUR 8159) · FEC.gov (MUR 8159) · Oregon Roundup (Substack)

financial/corruption · 2024-2025 · Rep. Val Hoyle missed the STOCK Act's 45-day disclosure deadline for 217 individual stock transactions (collectively valued roughly $245,000-$3.36 million by some counts, and around $500,000 per her office) made through her husband's investment/retirement account after his employer switched his pension to an individually managed 401(k). Some of the traded companies were in industries touching committees on which Hoyle serves (Transportation and Infrastructure; Natural Resources). Hoyle's office said she discovered the lapse while completing a financial disclosure form, self-reported, and paid the standard $200 first-offense penalty personally (not from campaign or taxpayer funds). No evidence emerged of trading on nonpublic information. · Hoyle paid a $200 fine, the standard penalty for a first-time STOCK Act violation.

Sources: Oregon Capital Chronicle · OPB · KLCC · OpenSecrets