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County says estate dismissed lawsuit in 2022 fatal crash case; law firm reports litigation victory and hiring next steps
Summary
County counsel reported that the estate in Adriana Shelton v. Washington County voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit alleging county and former sheriff claims tied to a September 2022 fatal crash. County counsel said the dismissal followed statute of limitations concerns under the Oregon Tort Claims Act and noted continuing hiring for litigation staff.
Washington County’s legal team reported a voluntary dismissal this week of a wrongful‑death lawsuit that named the county and a former sheriff in a crash that killed two teenage girls in September 2022.
The county’s new litigator, Dave Lewis, briefed the board that the estate dismissed the action after counsel pointed to the two‑year statute of limitations under the Oregon Tort Claims Act as a bar to the claims against the county and former Sheriff Pat Garrett. The suit had been filed more than three years after the events in question, Lewis said during the briefing.
County counsel described the outcome as a favorable development for the county because it avoided what staff said would likely have been significant litigation costs. Lewis also told commissioners the county is advancing hiring in the litigation unit, with multiple litigator interviews scheduled and an expectation that a candidate will be identified shortly.
The litigation briefing to the board summarized the facts the county said were alleged in the state filing: in September 2022 a stolen vehicle traveling at high speed on Southeast 180th Avenue reportedly collided with another vehicle carrying two teenage girls; a deputy who saw the speeding vehicle activated lights and attempted a traffic stop shortly before the collision. The state filed suit more than three years after the event, and counsel argued the claims were time‑barred under the Oregon Tort Claims Act.
No settlement or trial outcome was reported to the board; instead, the estate voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit after the statute‑of‑limitations issue was raised, county counsel said.
