From the Portland Tribune
A federal judge is wondering why the Portland city attorney’s office has not complied with a court order he issued last month demanding that the city turn over reams of requested documents to lawyers for the family of James Chasse Jr.
Chasse’s death in 2006 after an altercation with police sparked the biggest cop-shop controversy of the year.
Oregon District Judge Dennis Hubel has called a hearing for 10 a.m. Wednesday to hear the city’s explanations, spurred by a letter from civil rights lawyer Tom Steenson.
Steenson on Friday morning told Sources Say he felt obligated to inform the judge that he had not received a single document by the Oct. 26 deadline set by Hubel.
On Friday afternoon, however, Deputy City Attorney Jim Rice said the city has partially complied with the order. He said the logistics of assembling and copying the thousands of documents overwhelmed his office’s already swamped support staff.
“They’re working hard on it,” he said.