Media Release_Grants Pass City Manager Sued in Federal Court

For Immediate Release
June 12, 2009

For More Information:
Kristian Roggendorf, attorney for the plaintiff
(503) 274-1168 or ksr@oandc.com

Gregory Tressel v. David Reeves, David Frasher, and City of Grants Pass

PORTLAND, ORE–Former Grants Pass Budget Committee member Greg Tressel filed suit in federal court today, alleging that the Grants Pass City Manager and Chief Financial officer illegally conspired to intimidate Tressel into leaving his appointed position through an intrusive and unlawful investigation into his private life.

Tressel is suing under federal civil rights law, Oregon’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization law (ORICO), and state tort law for the City’s investigation into his private life that included a visit to his house from Grants Pass CFO David Reeves demanding that he be allowed to look through Tressel’s personal effects.Kristian Roggendorf, Tressel’s attorney, said of the filing, “The attempts at bullying and intimidation by City Manager David Frasher’s administration will no longer be tolerated in Grants Pass.”

The complaint alleges that after Tressel was appointed to the City’s Budget Committee following the election of a new majority on the City Council, the City’s Chief Financial Officer David Reeves conducted an investigation into Tressel’s residency without any authority to do so under Oregon law or the Grant’s Pass Charter or Code.Not only did Reeves do things like look at Mr. Tressel’s personal checks, he also demanded that Tressel’s wife allow him to search Tressel’s residence after Tressel left for work one morning.Roggendorf noted that before the attempted search, “David Reeves already had all the information he needed to show that Mr. Tressel was qualified to sit on the budget committee.This was political intimidation, pure and simple.”Tressel intends to donate any proceeds form the suit to local charities.

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View the Official Complaint.

Posted on Saturday, June 13th, 2009, in Announcements, Our Work In the News | No Comments »
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