Polk County's $340/hour defense in harassment case against supervisor

Polk County will pay $340 an hour to defend against a lawsuit filed by county spokesperson Sarah Boese, according to the contract obtained by Axios.

Catch up fast: Boese, who still works for the county, alleges Supervisor Matt McCoy sexually harassed her in 2020 via an obscene threat she says she overheard him make while he spoke with another county employee.

• McCoy, who was unopposed and reelected this month, denies the allegation.

Driving the news: Last week, a district court judge rejected the county's request to dismiss Boese's retaliation claims.

• Supervisors agreed to hire DSM attorney Andrew Tice of Ahlers & Cooney during a heated public meeting last week to avoid a conflict of interest in having the county attorney represent the case.