August 13th, 2009
By Danny Hakim and Nicholas Confessore

ALBANY — A former Senate employee who is suing the state over his dismissal in 2007 said on Thursday that he had testified under oath this week that his supervisor was given special treatment because of a romantic relationship with Gov. David A. Paterson.

The former employee, Jean Pierre, has said that his supervisor, Indira F. Noel, forged his signature to obtain a copy of his college transcript amid a dispute that led to his firing.

Mr. Pierre said that, in a deposition this week, he told lawyers for the state that Ms. Noel had frequently bragged that her job was protected because she had a relationship with Mr. Paterson, the former minority leader of the Senate, who was lieutenant governor when Mr. Pierre was fired in late 2007.

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