I agree with you. This guy (and his wife) need to find a lawyer who will bury this sick scumbag Bill Thompson and bankrupt that toilet tissue, the Sentinel.
The Portland Newspaper Guild has filed a grievance on behalf of the fired reporter, who is a union member. His wife works (or worked) on a freelance basis, which usually means on a per-project or per-day basis, no benefits, and no unemployment coverage. I seriously doubt she has any grounds to sue.