Exchanges become heated as trial date looms closer

Published 1:46 pm Wednesday, March 23, 2011

On Monday, attorneys for former assistant city manager and city attorney Londi Lindell filed a strongly worded response to a motion filed by the City of Mercer Island on March 10, accusing Lindell of destroying evidence on a computer, calling the allegations “pure fiction.” The motion said, “Once again, the defendants misrepresent material facts to this court, hoping to escape the merits of Ms. Lindell’s claims.”

In the most recent motion, attorneys for the city put forth expert testimony, which they said proved that Lindell had taken actions to willfully destroy key evidence in the case.

The plaintiff’s response included the following statement: “The truth is that Ms. Lindell took all efforts to preserve the data on her computer. She was so diligent in doing so that when she learned it had twice been infected with a virus, she took it to PC Doctor (a computer repair shop) to remove the viruses and ensure that no data was corrupted.”

On Monday afternoon, attorneys for both sides met with James L. Robart to discuss these new allegations in light of the impending trial date set for April.

Information on the meeting or its outcome was not available before the Reporter deadline.

Lindell’s lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in Seattle in December 2008, states that Lindell was subject to adverse employment actions, that the defendants named in the suit discriminated against her because of her gender and that her termination lacked due process. The action goes on to say that defendants, including members of the city staff and City Council, conspired against Lindell.

View key documents regarding the lawsuit brought by former Mercer Island assistant city manager Londi Lindell against the City of Mercer Island here.