They say statements on Measure 11 used in Voters Pamphlet are false By Chris Bristol Opponents of the Yes on 94 campaign have repeatedly accused its backers of making false claims about Measure 11, and now they re suing a Medford man to prove their point. In a lawsuit filed last week in Multnomah County court, a Portland-based group called Crime Victims United accused Vern Beardslee of making false representations about Measure 11 in the Voter s Pamphlet. Beardslee is a supporter of the Yes on 94 campaign, which seeks the repeal of Measure 11. The 1994 law sets stiff mandatory sentences for a variety of violent crimes and treats felons as young as 15 the same as adults. At issue are two statements published by Beardslee in the Voters Pamphlet.
State records indicate both statements are false.
Meanwhile, prison officials said that while there were four suicides all at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility three were teenage boys and none were incarcerated because of Measure 11. Steve Doell, director of Crime Victims United, said the misstatements are among the most flagrant distortions and lies to date in the Yes on 94 campaign. He never got back to us, so I said the hell with it, let s sue him. Under Oregon law, a person can be held liable for knowingly or recklessly making a false statement of material fact about a candidate or measure. If it passes, Measure 94 would require resentencing of more than 1,300 prison inmates in Oregon under the old, more lenient, sentencing guidelines.