PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Court documents obtained by KOIN 6 News on Wednesday show details about a car crash involving unaffiliated gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson.
The crash happened in 2013 when Johnson was a state senator. Her lawyers argued for legislative immunity after she was sued for rear-ending someone in their car.
The lawsuit, which was reported by Willamette Week, came two years later in 2015 when a Columbia County woman sued Johnson for more than a quarter of a million dollars — seeking compensation for her injuries and damage to her car.
Johnson’s attorneys argued that Johnson was shielded by legislative immunity, claiming she was performing her elected duties at the time of the crash by driving to the state Capitol. They also argued she was immune to lawsuits because it was served during a legislative session.
The lawsuit ended up being dismissed.
“This is literal ambulance chasing media doing the bidding of the party opposition researchers who are afraid of our campaign,” a Johnson campaign spokesperson told KOIN 6 News.