LIHU‘E — A county employee, who settled a complaint against former Prosecuting Attorney Shaylene Iseri for $108,000 in 2016, has responded to Iseri’s allegations that multiple lawsuits brought against her office were intended to sabotage her failed 2012 reelection campaign.
Iseri, who is now seeking to regain the Office of Prosecuting Attorney in Saturday’s special election against Acting Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Like, made her claims in a profile published by The Garden Island on Nov. 26.
“All of this was planned, the lawsuits that were there,” Iseri said at the time. “I’m almost certain that that’s the reason because they could not attack me on any of the services I had done as a prosecutor because my conviction rates were 97%.”
But OPA Victim/Witness Program Director Diana Gausepohl-White has pointed out her complaint against Iseri was made in December 2013 — one year after Iseri lost the election to then-Deputy County Attorney Justin Kollar.
“My complaint was filed after she was out of office,” Gausepohl-White said this week.
Gausepohl-White said the 2013 complaint filed in Fifth Circuit Court was preceded by three internal complaints, seven grievances and two Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints.
“I am also not a liar and I’m also not a conspirator,” she, a white American, said. “I acted as an employee, using the processes available to me to deal with the situation.”
Her complaint alleged Iseri discriminated against her because of her race, national origin and atheism.
Gausepohl-White noted a complaint made by former Kaua‘i County Councilmember Tim Bynum, who died in 2016, is among the suits Iseri has decried.
“He’s not here to defend himself,” she said.
Bynum, who accused Iseri’s OPA of politically motivated prosecution, reached a $290,000 settlement with the county in 2014.
Documents obtained from Kaua‘i County show that six lawsuits brought against Iseri’s OPA, including Gausepohl-White’s, generated a total of $1,687,873.80 in settlements and legal-defense fees.
Current opponent Like was among those who settled, for $25,000. She filed suit in 2012, claiming Iseri had retaliated after Like did not openly support her boss’s candidacy.
Iseri declined to use the word “conspiracy” when interviewed in October, claiming the word “has a negative tone.”
But when asked if she claimed there was a coordinated effort to flood her office with charges of discrimination so she lost reelection, Iseri agreed.
The former prosecutor, who continues to deny all accusations made in the settlements, maintained the lawsuits were planned when approached this week.
Gausepohl-White takes issue with Iseri’s self-evaluation as county prosecutor, noting Iseri has publicly said her only mistake was “not hiring the right people.”
According to Gausepohl-White, two of the five OPA personnel who filed complaints against Iseri’s office had been hired before Iseri became prosecutor in 2008.
“I think it’s worth mentioning if nothing has been learned since 2012,” she said. “Nine years, and it doesn’t appear as if there were any personal responsibility accepted in all of that.”
If you have not already voted, you may VOTE to elect Becky Like and deny Shaylene Iseri her bid to earn her Prosecuting Attorney position back.
The county’s Voter Service Center remains open in the basement of the Historic County Annex Building in Lihu‘e on Rice Street and will be open tomorrow on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Ms Iseri is fair.
Bottom line is, Iseri for prosecuting criminals. She is balanced with younger offenders, but puts bad guys away.
Ms Iseri’s opponent as did her mentor, wants no bail, low sentences and basic fluff ball approach to hardened career criminals.
Iseri has backing of most old time locals and the Police.
The Garden Island Paper has stopped reporting crime because it slanted toward the Woke Way. Somehow, the GI has lost it’s balance.
Having worked with Iseri on various legal issues I can only find the allegation an the article , the accusations and the un named “Kauai Boy” politically motivated. Never have I seen any form of prejudice. Rather I have seen a very thorough and above average law practice.
In fact I would look carefully into the actions of the accusers.
Hey Bob, check out Iseri’s record in eKokua….. Namely what she did to judges lawyers, and police officers over an underage driver shuttling her (Iseri) around…… she fought like a pit bull with a bone….. To defend her own misconduct!! it’s all in the public records
It’s amazing the level of corruption on such a small island. I’ve never seen anything like it. All of these behind the doors settlements over corruption are out of control. This has been consistent over the last 20 years. I’d be interested just how much money has been paid out from these corrupt people that are supposed to represent Kauai with integrity living like criminals. I do not know Iseri personally and hope that she isn’t part of the same kind of history. Kauai needs real change throughout the county council and every office in politics. People will answer for it whether in this life or in eternity.