VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The former director of the now-defunct Clark County Department of Environmental Services Don Benton was awarded nearly $68,000 in his lawsuit against Clark County. The Columbian reports his two former employees, Christopher Clifford and Susan Rice, each received six-figure awards from a jury Thursday in Clark County Superior Court. The trio was laid off about two weeks after Benton submitted a whistleblower complaint about then-county manager Mark McCauley. The complaint accused McCauley of illegal actions and political retaliation. Trial testimony showed Clifford apparently helped Benton draft the complaint, and Rice looked it over. They filed their lawsuit in December 2016 in Clark County Superior Court alleging hostility and retaliation during their employment.
Benton prevails in lawsuit against county over firing
