Ex-Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz files lawsuit, claims wrongful termination
SEATTLE - Former Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz is suing the city of Seattle, alleging he was wrongfully terminated for refusing to carry out politically motivated directives from the Mayor’s Office.
What we know:
Diaz’s lawsuit claims Mayor Bruce Harrell and Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess pressured him to dismiss Seattle Police Department Officer Dan Auderer, who was caught on bodycam joking about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a pedestrian killed by another officer’s vehicle, in what became a national scandal.
Diaz alleges Harrell directly ordered him to fire Auderer without due process. When Diaz ultimately issued Auderer a 30-day suspension over the incident, the lawsuit says the Mayor’s Office engaged in "a swift and unmistakable act of retaliation," by resurrecting previously discredited rumors Diaz was having an affair with his Chief of Staff, Jamie Tompkins.
The lawsuit claims "the City’s retaliatory and discriminatory conduct humiliated Chief Diaz, destroyed his 27-year law enforcement career, forever ruined his name and professional reputation, and ended his ability to obtain commensurate employment ever again."
Diaz contends in the lawsuit that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) originally told him there was "no evidence" to support the allegations he engaged in a sexual relationship with Tompkins. But he claims "the city’s position changed immediately after Chief Diaz refused to comply with Harrell’s unlawful directives."
Jamie Housen, a spokesperson for the Mayor's office, forcefully denied Diaz's claims in an email he sent to FOX 13 Seattle.
The OIG investigation, led by outside attorney Shayda Le, determined Diaz gave Tompkins the chief of staff job as a romantic quid pro quo, then tried to cover it up. But Diaz’s lawsuit alleges the investigation was "botched" from the start.
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Seattle ignored key witness in Ex-police Chief Diaz scandal. Here's why
Monisha Harrell says she had information crucial to the city's investigation into the Diaz-Tompkins investigation, but she was never contacted.
Diaz claims Le ignored multiple witnesses who could have debunked claims he was sleeping with Tompkins, while refusing to recognize one of Diaz’s chief accusers had "clear conflicts of interest."
Dig deeper:
The lawsuit also alleges the OIG failed to "authenticate the single piece of documentary 'evidence’ it relied upon in finding Diaz was dishonest," a birthday card with a romantic message handwritten inside, supposedly by Tompkins.
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Ex-Seattle officials say OIG botched Chief Diaz, Jamie Tompkins affair probe
Two former Seattle city officials claim the OIG mishandled its investigation of rumors that Ex-police Chief Adrian Diaz was sleeping with his Chief of Staff, Jamie Tompkins.
According to the lawsuit, "The City, Ms. Le, and Mayor Harrell all disregarded clear evidence that the love letter was a forgery, something Chief Diaz easily verified" with his own handwriting analysis commissioned by his lawyers.
Mayor Harrell fired Diaz on Dec. 17, 2024, following what the lawsuit describes as a "rushed and retaliatory process" in which Diaz was given just three days to respond to the OIG findings.
Following his firing, the lawsuit asserts the city attempted to block Diaz from receiving unemployment benefits and reported him to the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC), to be officially decertified as a police officer.
Diaz also alleges the OIG unlawfully released investigative records about the rumored affair to select media outlets to further destroy his career, in violation of the Washington Public Records Act.
Big picture view:
Diaz had been negotiating with the city for an out-of-court settlement, including his demand for a new criminal investigation. But according to the lawsuit, the city refused to reopen his case. Diaz issued this statement after filing his lawsuit in King County Superior Court:
Diaz is seeking an undetermined amount of monetary damages for lost wages, reputational harm and emotional distress; his original tort claim on the matter was for $10 million.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
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Jamie Tompkins claims Seattle police scandal was a setup. Here’s why
Tompkins believes she was "collateral damage" in a conspiracy to remove Adrian Diaz as chief.
The Source: Information in this story came from court documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle, interviews with Jamie Tompkins and FOX 13 Seattle original reporting.
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