Former Baker City Fire Chief asks for jury trial in $1 million lawsuit against City
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, July 10th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — Former Baker City Fire Chief Todd Jaynes, who was terminated on March 8 by City Manager Barry Murphy, has filed a civil lawsuit against the city, seeking nearly $1 million in damages. The suit, filed on July 6 in Baker County Circuit Court, alleges breach of contract and negligence.
Jaynes, represented by Salem attorney Richard Slezak, is pursuing $899,999 in economic damages and $100,000 in noneconomic damages, and is requesting a jury trial.
The lawsuit claims that Murphy’s decision to fire Jaynes breached an employment agreement signed by Jaynes and Interim City Manager Jon France in July of 2023. The agreement stipulated a minimum employment term of five years unless Jaynes was terminated for cause or chose to resign.
A contentious point in the lawsuit is the “convenience clause” within the employment agreement, which allowed the city to terminate Jaynes’ employment at any time, providing three months’ severance pay. Jaynes, whose monthly salary was $7,043, had objected to this clause during his interview on July 7, 2023, expressing concerns about job security as he planned for his Oregon PERS retirement benefits to vest.
According to the lawsuit, France reassured Jaynes that the convenience clause was merely a formality and would not be enforced without cause. Jaynes contends that this assurance, coupled with the inclusion of the five-year term in the employment agreement, effectively waived the convenience clause.
Jaynes argues that the city, including France, the city council, and Murphy, acted negligently by not recognizing the inconsistency between the convenience clause and the five-year minimum term. The lawsuit claims that this oversight created an unreasonable risk of harm to Jaynes, leading to his wrongful termination and subsequent financial losses.
Jaynes told Elkhorn Media Group that he was not permitted to speak on the matter due to the pending litigation.
Baker City Manager Barry Murphy has declined to comment on the lawsuit.
