Polk County faces mounting legal bills
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Polk County's legal bills are piling up amid new lawsuits from a top county official.
Why it matters: Taxpayers are footing the bill for long-running internal disputes, now stretching into a third lawsuit.
- Some of the latest allegations also raise questions about transparency in government operations.
Catch up quick: Deputy county administrator Sarah Boese first sued in 2022, accusing Supervisor Matt McCoy of sexually harassing her in 2020, which he has denied.
- In March, she filed a second suit, alleging that the county violated state law by withholding hundreds of pages of McCoy's text messages in response to her public records request. The lawsuit claims the county violated a law designed "to facilitate public scrutiny of the conduct of public officers."
- Boese filed a third suit last month against the county and Supervisors McCoy, Jill Altringer and Mark Holm, accusing them of retaliation for passing over her for a top role after they pushed out administrator John Norris.
The intrigue: Supervisors in March unanimously approved a nearly $520,000 settlement for Norris' resignation.
- A search for his replacement — which Boese claims she was next in line for — is on indefinite hold.
- Frank Marasco, a sheriff's office administrator, continues to serve in the role on an interim basis.
By the numbers: Supervisors agreed to pay $340 an hour for its defense linked with the 2022 lawsuit.
- They agreed last week to pay up to $225 an hour for defense in the latest two cases under resolutions that say the county attorney's office is unavailable to provide legal representation.
- Axios this week made a records request for the amount spent so far on the outside legal fees. The county generally has 10 business days to respond, under Iowa's public records law.
What they're saying: County officials have been instructed via their legal team not to comment on the litigation.
- A motion filed by the county attorney's office seeks to dismiss the records case, saying Boese failed to assert a "cognizable claim."
- The county has until July 7 to respond to the lawsuit Boese filed last month.
- Boese's attorney, Matt Sahag, did not respond to Axios' request for comment this week.
What's next: The first lawsuit, now almost three years old, still has no trial date.