Johnson v. Brown

Plaintiff is a former supervisor of an adult criminal corrections program for Deschutes County. Deschutes County fired him after an investigation established that he had engaged in work-related misconduct. After he was fired, he brought this action against Nancy Brown, one of the employees whom he supervised, and against Deschutes County, seeking damages for defamation based on statements that Brown made during the county’s investigation. The trial court granted summary judgment to defendants after concluding that Brown’s statements were absolutely privileged. Plaintiff appeals, and we affirm.