Bothell mayor deems suit ‘frivolous’

EVERETT — Bothell Mayor Mark Lamb, in court documents filed last week, admits to having an affair with a former intern at his law firm who’s suing him over being fired from her job.

The admission is contained in a reply Lamb’s attorneys filed Thursday asking Snohomish County Superior Court to dismiss Micaela Mae’s lawsuit.

The reply agrees that Mae began working at Lamb’s North Creek Law Firm in November 2011 and that she received about $1,500 per month in pay. It goes on to say that “Mr. Lamb and the plaintiff engaged in consensual sexual relations.”

On Friday, Lamb declined to comment further. In an earlier statement, he called the suit “frivolous” and said he’s being targeted because he’s a public figure.

Lamb, 39, is an elected Bothell City Council member chosen by his peers to serve as mayor, a position he’s held since 2006. Though his council seat is nonpartisan, he is active in Republican circles.

Mae, 23, filed her lawsuit Oct. 29. In it, she says she first met Lamb about two years ago while working at a local restaurant. She describes working for North Creek Law Firm for about five months. She claims Lamb promised her twice the pay she received and that her firing, in March, followed her printing out Internet pages about another man she wanted to date.

After her termination, Mae maintains someone accessed her social media profiles and deleted voice mails from her cell phone. Lamb, in his legal reply, denies her claim that he or someone working on his behalf was responsible.

Mae is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages, unlawful firing, emotional distress and invasion of privacy. Her suit also names Lamb’s wife and North Creek Law Firm as defendants.

Lamb’s legal response says that Mae “consented and assumed the risk.” It also claims she was an “at-will employee” who could be let go with or without cause.

In addition to asking the court to dismiss Mae’s suit, Lamb is asking for attorney’s fees.

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.