PORTLAND — A judge has ordered former Oregon first lady Cylvia Hayes to pay The Oregonian/OregonLive $127,760 to cover the news organization’s legal costs in her failed public-records lawsuit.
Hayes had tried to block the paper from obtaining her emails in the wake of an influence-peddling scandal that lead to Gov. John Kitzhaber’s resignation.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Marion County Judge Tracy Prall notified attorneys about her decision Wednesday. It came nearly 18 months after the paper first requested Hayes’ emails.
Federal agents are still investigating the former governor.
Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum ordered Hayes to turn over messages from her private account that concerned public business. Hayes refused and filed a lawsuit in February 2015 to block the email release.
She contended she wasn’t a public official and not subject to the Oregon Public Records Law. Judge Prall ruled in news organization’s favor in August. A different judge then reviewed more than 72,000 emails and decided nearly two-thirds of the messages should be released.