The Office of the Attorney General Wins Complete Court Victory in Wrongful Termination Case

BOISE - The Office of the Attorney General won a complete legal victory last Friday when Ada County District Judge Jonathan Medema dismissed all claims in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former deputy attorney general Daphne Huang. The court ruled that Huang could not prove any of her allegations and therefore dismissed the case in full.

"Idahoans elected me to protect families, uphold the Constitution, and ensure government follows the law," said Attorney General Labrador. "The people of Idaho sent a message that they wanted to change the direction of the Attorney General's office. When I took office, we began advising state agencies on legal compliance and setting our policies in place. While this former employee may have disagreed with our policy directions, the court found no basis for her claims. I will continue protecting Idaho families and ensuring government accountability."

In the decision dismissing the former employee's lawsuit against the Office of the Attorney General, the Court made it clear that "The People demand that their civil servants comply with the law and demand transparency when they fail to do so." Attorney General Labrador's efforts to do just that-demand that civil servants comply with the law and demand transparency when they fail to do so-has once again been vindicated through the dismissal of this frivolous lawsuit. The Court repeatedly stated that there is no objectively reasonable basis to support the claims in the lawsuit that the Attorney General violated the law or Rules of Professional Conduct, and dismissed the lawsuit because "no rational juror could find that Plaintiff had proven any of her claims."

The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. This victory confirms that the Office of the Attorney General did not violate the Idaho Protection of Public Employees Act when it terminated Ms. Huang's employment with the Office of the Attorney General.