QuickTake:

Lane County parted ways with its counsel, Rob Bovett, without saying much, other than praising him and paying him a six-figure settlement agreement. Under the agreement, which Lookout Eugene-Springfield acquired through a public-record request, Bovett agreed not to sue the county. 

When Lane County commissioners approved County Counsel Rob Bovett’s separation agreement, they had already agreed with him on what to say — not much.

The county’s Aug. 25 vote on the agreement said Bovett was terminated “without cause or comment” and that commissioners, in a September 2025 evaluation, had rated his performance as exceeding expectations.

The agreement required the county to pay Bovett a year’s salary and health benefits, a total of $275,318. Commissioner David Loveall abstained from the vote, but later said he appreciates Bovett, a well-respected government attorney in Oregon.

“His leadership and detailed commitment to keeping us in full compliance and in good legal standards was a gift we’ll miss dearly,” Loveall said at the meeting.

Unlike many county items publicly approved, the agreement was not attached to the online agenda memorandum for the board’s Aug. 25 meeting. The board’s vote at that meeting terminated Bovett’s employment contract and approved a “confidential settlement agreement” Bovett had already signed, the memorandum said.

Lane County provided the settlement agreement to Lookout Eugene-Springfield on Sept. 14 in response to an Aug. 24 public records request. The county also released Bovett’s employment agreement.

The settlement agreement doesn’t shed any light on what spurred the county and Bovett to separate. But the document and Bovett’s employment contract provide a few key takeaways about the quarter-million-dollar agreement, including:

  • When Bovett started working for Lane County in February 2025, his employment agreement required that he would receive a year’s pay and health benefits if he was terminated “without cause.” The county’s settlement agreement followed the requirement. Bovett’s employment contract also stated he would get only two weeks of pay if he were terminated “with cause.”
  • Bovett agrees to not sue the county for any reason related to his employment, including claims for wrongful discharge, retaliation or discrimination.
  • However, Bovett is still allowed to file a complaint or assist any agency’s investigation of potential violations of employment laws. He gives up his right to individual payments from any potential complaint he files with an agency. The one exception: rewards available under government whistleblower programs.
  • When Bovett looks for a job, reference checks from potential employers are to be directed only to the chair of the Lane County commissioners. The county can only provide his dates of employment and job title unless authorized to provide more.
  • Neither the county nor Bovett can make a voluntary public statement that disparages the other. However, the agreement notes that by law, Bovett is not required to keep the terms or amounts of the agreement confidential.

Besides those terms, other details about what led to his departure and the settlement payout are unknown. Lookout filed a public records request with Lane County asking for any documents about recent complaints Bovett might have filed with the county.

The county denied the request, saying that those records are exempt from disclosure, citing attorney-client privilege, litigation, personal privacy and confidential submissions exemptions.

Bovett has declined to comment on his departure.

His experience as a county attorney is extensive: He became an assistant county counsel in Lincoln County in 1992, later serving as the Lincoln County district attorney until 2014. He also worked for about eight years as the legal counsel for the Association of Oregon Counties, which lobbies state lawmakers on behalf of counties. He also was a senior assistant county counsel in Washington County before joining Lane County.

Before Bovett arrived, the county settled a tort claim from its previous counsel, Erin Pettigrew, for $250,000 after she alleged discrimination and hostility.

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Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.