Former Spokane health officer Dr. Bob Lutz settles lawsuit against health district for $1.65 million

Indexé : 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]New tonight, former Spokane health officer Dr. Bob Lutz reached a settlement in his lawsuit against the Spokane Regional Health District over his firing during the pandemic. Creme's Connor Mcroy tells us tonight about the settlement and the response from the health district. The story starts in 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic. Spokane Regional Health District's health officer, Dr. Bob Lutz was fired following multiple professional misconduct allegations by SRHD's administrative officer at the time, Amelia Clark. Two years later, Lutz filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Clark and SRHD. That same year, Clark left the health district after her contract had expired.

[00:00:40]In the suit, Lux accused the district of several types of wrongful termination as well as defamation. Serious questions were raised as to whether the termination was legally proper, which was not.

[00:00:53]>> Mike Mau is one of Dr. Lutz's attorneys.

[00:00:55]He says the types of wrongful termination violated Washington state law and SRHD's bylaws. Court documents show he claimed a lack of just cause, wrongful discharge, and violation of public policy, a violation of the fifth and 14th amendment, and violation of Lutz's free speech. The lawsuit was dismissed in March of 2025 and Lutz filed an appeal in April. This week, a settlement of $1.65 million was signed by Dr. Lutz, his attorneys, and a group representing SRHD.

[00:01:23]>> This is a significant settlement. It is indicative of the harm that we believe was inflicted upon Dr. Lutz. A spokesperson for the health district released a statement in response to the settlement saying, "Spoken Regional Health District is aware that the insurer has made an agreement to settle Dr. Lutz's lawsuit. We have been advised not to discuss it any further until the settlement has been finalized." Connor Makavoy, cremech