Commissioner fined $16,000 over unpaid credit card debt and failure to appear in court

By KPTV Staff

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    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — A Multnomah County judge has ruled Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty must pay a credit card company more than $16,000 in overdue debts and fees after failing to appear in court.

Default orders were issued last week by Circuit Judge Judith Matarazzo on a set of lawsuits filed by Bank of America in November. According to documents, Hardesty defaulted on two credit card accounts, which the bank is currently suing the commissioner over.

In the first case, Judge Matarazzo approved a $4,900 lien against Hardesty on March 21. An $11,700 penalty over the second case followed three days later.

Filed documents show neither Hardesty nor a legal representative appeared in court over the matter.

Official budget filings from the City of Portland show Hardesty making a six-figure salary over the last three years due to her role as elected commissioner. The 2022-23 city budget shows Hardesty will earn a salary of $127,712 this year.

In a separate legal matter, Hardesty is suing the police union, its former president, and an officer for $5 million after she was falsely linked to a hit-and-run crash.

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