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Whistleblower sues county after dismissal A former employee of the Medford airport has sued Jackson County and airport Director Bern Case, alleging she was forced to quit for blowing the whistle on management. Dawn Neff seeks at least $300,000 in damages for violations of her civil rights as well as physical and emotional stress, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Friday afternoon in Jackson County Circuit Court. The county owns and operates the airport. The former secretary accuses Case and assistant director Craig Baldwin of retaliating against her last summer for taking complaints about management to the county administrator. Her complaints triggered an internal county audit, which criticized Case and Baldwin for poor judgment, including use of staff for personal projects and sloppy timekeeping. The audit in turn triggered a state ethics investigation. The Government Standards and Practices Commission concluded last month that Case used his position once to promote his wife�s Turbo Way business and sent maintenance employees to his home for home repairs. Case has not decided whether to contest the commission�s findings. The commission exonerated Baldwin of any wrongdoing. The lawsuit was filed late in the afternoon, and county and airport officials could not be reached for comment. A tort claim threatening suit was filed earlier this year. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA