Monthly Archives: February 2015

Cylvia Hayes is asserting her constitutional right against self-incrimination in an attempt to block the release of work-relatedemails she sent from her personal accounts.

Hayes asserted that right in a lawsuit filed Thursday against The Oregonian/OregonLive in Marion County Circuit Court. She has been under a state order to turn the emails over to the news organization.

That order is one of the several legal fronts on which Hayes and her fiance, former Gov. John Kitzhaber, are battling. The couple is the target of a joint investigation by the FBI and the IRS, which have sought records from 11 state agencies and organizations, and a separate state criminal investigation.

The lawsuit is the only legal remedy open to Hayes to escape complying with Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum's order that she turn over the emails.

The Oregonian/OregonLive first requested that Kitzhaber's office provide Hayes' state-related emails as questions arose last October about her consulting work and her roles as first lady and as a volunteer policy adviser to Kitzhaber. His staff repeatedly said it was working on complying with the request, but said in January it had no access to Hayes' records.

Rosenblum subsequently granted a petition from the news organization that she order Hayes to provide the records. Rosenblum ruled Feb.12 that Hayes was a public official subject to the Oregon Public Records Law.

As first lady and a volunteer policy adviser, Hayes regularly communicated with state employees and agency leaders through two personal email accounts and one from her Bend-based consulting business, 3E Strategies. In court filings she said she wasn't issued a state email account because she wasn't an employee.

Hayes and her attorney, Whitney Boise, argued in the lawsuit the same point they had made with Rosenblum - that Hayes is not subject to the state public records law because she is not a public official.

Rosenblum concluded otherwise, writing that she was persuaded that the former first lady earned public official status from her "extensive, high-level involvement in the executive branch of Oregon's state government."

The order noted that Hayes had said she asked for a state email but was ineligible without employee status.

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Facing criminal investigations, Cylvia Hayes asserts Fifth Amendment rights in hopes of keeping emails private

Cylvia Hayes has claimed her constitutional Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination while suing to block release of emails related to her state-related activities.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday against The Oregonian/OregonLive in Marion County Circuit Court, the fiance of former Gov. John Kitzhaber also repeatsearlier assertions that she is not a public official.

In an earlier public records order, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblumrejected Hayes' arguments in ordering her to release the records. The order responded to a petition by The Oregonian/OregonLive under the state's public records law.

In her lawsuit, her lawyer, Whitney Boise, adds a new argument. "Under the Oregon and United States constitutions, ordering Ms. Hayes to provide documents that are related to the conduct of public business compels her to admit that responsive emails exist, are in her control, and authenticate that the email relates to state business, violating her right against self-incrimination ... Ms. Hayes' constitutional rights supersede the Oregon Public Records Law."

Invoking Hayes' right against self-incrimination suggests there is a plausible argument that the information could be used as a link in a chain of evidence against her, said Tung Yin, a criminal law expert who teaches at Lewis & Clark Law School. But it doesn't necessarily mean the emails contain "smoking guns"

-- Nick Budnick and Laura Gunderson nbudnick@oregonian.com lgunderson@oregonian.com 503-294-5083 503-221-8378 @nickbudnick @LGunderson

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Cylvia Hayes claims right against self-incrimination to block emails as feds scrutinize Kitzhaber fiancee

Former first lady Cylvia Hayes is asking a court to block release of her emails in response to a Jan. 29 public records request made by The Oregonian newspaper.

Hayes asserted her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a court document filed Wednesday, Feb. 25, and stated that her Constitutional rights supercede Oregon public records law.

The complaint filed by Hayes attorney in Marion County Circuit Court also restated many of her previous arguments against the records release, which the Oregon Department of Justice rejected early this month. It included the claim that Hayes was never a public official and therefore her emails are not subject to the states public records law.

According to Hayes attorney, Whitney P. Boise, Any functions Hayes performed for the state were unpaid and largely advisory or ceremonial in nature. Hayes is engaged to marry former Gov. John Kitzhaber and for most of Kitzhabers third term, Hayes served as an unpaid adviser on state energy and economic development policy. Kitzhaber resigned Feb. 18 amid state and federal criminal investigations into allegations that Hayes used her position for financial gain.

Private email accounts

The Oregonian newspaper sought Hayes emails concerning state business received or sent by Hayes after Jan. 1, 2011. The newspaper also requested emails specifically containing the phrase first lady or the acronym FLO that Hayes sent, received or was copied.

Hayes used several private email accounts to correspond with public employees regarding state policy, travel arrangements and her private consulting business. She never had a state email account, and instead used a Gmail account with the signature Cylvia Hayes First Lady State of Oregon.

On Feb. 12 the Oregon attorney generals office ordered Hayes to turn over the emails, after The Oregonian filed a petition seeking the records. Hayes opposed that petition and argued that she was not a public official and thus not subject to Oregon public records laws. Deputy Attorney General Frederick M. Boss rejected that argument.

It is clear that Ms. Hayes worked extensively on government matters, and did at least some of that work by email, Boss wrote in the Feb. 12 order.

Records already released to the Pamplin Media Group/EO Media Group Capital Bureau and other news organizations have revealed Hayes directed the work of state employees, including at least one executive level employee.

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Hayes goes to court to block release of emails