PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - An out-of-court settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by the state’s two teachers unions against political activist Bill Sizemore and his main financial backer, Loren Parks.
The unions’ attorney, Greg Hartman, confirmed the settlement to The Oregonian (https://is.gd/a9m4yO ) Wednesday.
He declined to offer the settlement amount. However, one of the unions - American Federation of Teachers-Oregon - reported receiving nearly $600,000.
The unions claimed Sizemore and Parks conspired to set up a sham charitable organization to hide money used to gather signatures and promote four ballot measures in 2008, including measures on teacher merit pay and public employee unions.
The racketeering complaint sought $18 million in damages, about three times what the unions spent to defeat the measures.
The legal battle between Sizemore and the unions dates to 2002 and a racketeering lawsuit the unions won against a Sizemore political action committee.
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Information from: The Oregonian, https://www.oregonlive.com
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