Former Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz has filed a $10 million tort claim against the city, Mayor Bruce Harrell and Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess.
The claim alleges the city “wrongfully discharged and discriminated, harassed and retaliated against (Diaz) when he expressed his sexual orientation” to Harrell and Burgess and refused to commit an illegal act.
A spokesperson for Harrell denied the allegations Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a city watchdog agency has given notice that Diaz, who for months has been under investigation for alleged misconduct, will now also be investigated for allegations of lying and breaking confidentiality.
Harrell removed Diaz as chief in May after a rash of harassment and discrimination allegations against Diaz and the Seattle Police Department. Former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr is serving as SPD’s interim chief.
No details were included in Diaz’s bare-bones Oct. 11 tort claim, which was first reported by FOX 13. In an interview, the attorney who filed the claim, Jacob Downs, said Burgess told Diaz to keep quiet after Diaz came out as gay to Harrell and Burgess in February, months before his ouster as chief.
“From that point forward, (Diaz) was muzzled and told not to disclose that within the department or the media,” Downs said.
Diaz publicly came out as gay in a June interview on The Jason Rantz Show.
While he was chief, Diaz was also directed to take actions he believed would violate police officers’ due process rights and other regulations, Downs said, declining to share specifics.
A tort claim is a precursor to a lawsuit that seeks compensation for damages. Diaz’s claim says he has suffered “economic and noneconomic damages.” Being removed as chief has affected Diaz’s pay, caused emotional distress and damaged his professional reputation, Downs added, saying he and his client hope to resolve the claim before it gets to the lawsuit stage.
“Adrian Diaz has not been discharged and remains an employee of the city,” Harrell spokesperson Jamie Housen said Wednesday. “The city denies the allegations in the claim for damages. Beyond this, we are unable to comment.”
The city put Diaz on administrative leave Monday amid ongoing investigations into misconduct allegations against him. SPD communications director Jamie Tompkins was also put on administrative leave.
Although Diaz technically remains an employee, he was discharged as chief and placed into a “made-up” special assignments role, Downs said.
The city hasn’t said why Diaz is now on administrative leave.
“We’re not certain what’s behind it,” except that it has something to do with alleged behavior by Diaz during the city’s investigations, said Ted Buck, an attorney who is representing Diaz in those investigations.
Last Friday, the Seattle Office of Inspector General, which investigates misconduct complaints against Seattle police chiefs, issued a notice of investigation for new potential policy violations by Diaz.
There are allegations that Diaz “provided untruthful information” during an existing OIG investigation and violated a confidentiality order “after receiving multiple admonishments.” The new case will be handled by the same contracted, noncity investigator already handling the underlying case.
Diaz served for more than three years as chief of the Seattle Police Department after taking over from Carmen Best in 2020. But he was removed as the department struggled to add new officers and repair an increasingly shaky reputation.
A decorated female police official sued the department and Diaz in January, alleging wage, job and gender discrimination. A February report found that women in SPD were broadly unhappy. And four women who worked for the department filed a $5 million tort claim in April.
When Harrell announced Diaz’s demotion in May, the mayor praised Diaz as a friend while saying the allegations against him had become a distraction.
After his ouster as chief, Diaz at one point announced he was on the shortlist for a chief position in Texas but he didn’t get that job.
