Oversight & ethics enforcementDiscrimination & civil rights

Oregon labor bureau investigation found legislative leaders including Speaker Kotek failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action on Capitol sexual harassment; Kotek disputed it and the Legislature settled for about $1.3 million, 2019

Confidence: Corroborated · 4 sourcesOregon · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

Peter Courtney, President of the Oregon Senate

Tina Kotek, Governor of Oregon

Also named

Oversight

Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI)

Whistleblower

Sara Gelser Blouin, Candidate for Oregon State Senate District 8

What happened

On Jan 3, 2019 the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries released an investigation, brought as a commissioner's complaint, concluding the state Capitol was a hostile work environment and that legislative leaders knew of sexual harassment there and did not do enough to stop it. Willamette Week reported the bureau found House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney "failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action" on unlawful employment practices based on sex. Kotek told OPB the report was "a disturbing picture of things" but said it was not a complete investigation because the labor commissioner did not interview her, and that the claim she let harassment go unaddressed as House leader was "just not true." On Mar 5, 2019 the Legislature settled with the bureau, agreeing to pay $1.095 million to eight women plus $200,000 for the bureau's costs and $26,200 for Sen. Sara Gelser's legal fees (about $1.32 million in all, per Willamette Week), and to create an equity office; OPB reported the agreement states the bureau's investigation was "politicized in a manner that inhibited both sides from participating thoroughly," while former Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian said the Legislature had aggressively politicized the process. Kotek and Courtney issued a joint apology on behalf of the Legislature. No penalty on Kotek personally was reported, and she remained Speaker until January 2022.

Sources (4)

OPB, Investigation: Harassment Made Oregon's Capitol A Hostile Workplace, Jan 3, 2019"So for (the report) to say that as the leader in the House that I somehow let that behavior go unaddressed is just not true."

OPB, Oregon Speaker Says Harassment Report 'Disturbing' But Incomplete, Jan 5, 2019The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) issued the report on Thursday concluding legislative leaders knew about substantial sexual harassment happening in the state Capitol and didn't do enough to stop the behavior.

Willamette WeekBOLI ultimately found that Kotek and Courtney "failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action to unlawful employment practices based on sex."

OPB, Oregon Legislature To Pay $1.1 Million In Damages To Victims Of Harassment, Mar 5, 2019The agreement explicitly states that a BOLI investigation into harassment last year was "politicized in a manner that inhibited both sides from participating thoroughly."

Response

Peter Courtney

Not yet contacted

Not yet contacted for this story.

Tina Kotek

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

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