OSC Applauds Settlement for Attorney Who Alleged Retaliation After Disclosing Sexual Misconduct by Alaska District Court Judge

November 20, 2024

OSC applauds a settlement the DOJ reached with a former AUSA who, while working for the Alaska U.S. Attorney’s Office, disclosed sexual misconduct by former U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) today applauds a settlement the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reached with a former Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) who, while working for the Alaska U.S. Attorney's Office, disclosed sexual misconduct by former U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred, as well as the misconduct of another prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office. The complainant clerked for Judge Kindred after she graduated from law school and alleged the misconduct shortly after becoming an AUSA. Judge Kindred resigned in July 2024 after the 9th Circuit's Judicial Council confirmed he had an inappropriate relationship with the complainant.

The former AUSA filed a complaint with OSC alleging that DOJ failed to appoint her to a permanent position in retaliation for blowing the whistle. OSC was investigating the allegations when the DOJ and complainant reached a global settlement involving a separate Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint she had filed, prompting OSC to close its investigation.

“I want to thank the whistleblower for her incredible courage in speaking up about sexual misconduct by her former boss," said Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger. “I also appreciate the efforts of Justice Department officials in negotiating a settlement to make the whistleblower whole. No attorney, indeed no one, should have to deal with sexual misconduct in the workplace. I am pleased that a favorable settlement was reached."