The state of Oregon has reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed against it by the lead civil rights attorney for the Oregon Department of Justice.
Erious Johnson filed suit last year after it came to light that he had been the subject of a digital surveillance operation by one of his own colleagues at the Department of Justice. Johnson is one of the only African-American attorneys at the agency. He was targeted after he used the “Black Lives Matter” hashtag on Twitter. ??
Johnson contended in his lawsuit that his civil rights were violated by the digital monitoring. He’ll receive $205,000 in the settlement agreement. He’s also stepping down from his job and can’t seek state employment for at least five years.
In a statement, Johnson said he was made to be the bad guy. The investigator who initiated the surveillance of Johnson was initially fired, but was awarded his job back by an arbitrator.