Polk County racks up $260K in lawsuits from deputy administrator

Catch up quick: About three years ago, Boese filed her first lawsuit, accusing supervisor Matt McCoy of sexually harassing her in 2020 — an allegation he denies.

• The others were filed this year — one accusing the county of violating public records laws by withholding copies of her text messages was filed in March, and the third, filed in May, claims retaliation after she was not chosen for the top administrator role.
• Boese makes $179,000 a year. Frank Marasco, the newly appointed administrator, makes $285,000, according to county records.

The latest: A trial date hasn't been set in the harassment case. And in the records lawsuit, a judge has not yet ruled on the county's request to dismiss it, arguing that Boese didn't present a clear legal case.

• In a court document filed last week, the county denied the charges in the retaliation case, saying some of her allegations are "insufficiently specific" or "unintelligible."

Zoom in: Invoices obtained by Axios through a public records request show payments to four law firms.

• Quilty, $175,000; Ahlers & Cooney, $54,500; Fautsch Tursi, $23,500; and Weinhardt & Lantz, $10,500.

What they're saying: Boese's attorney Matt Sahag declined Axios' request for comment. Court filings indicate she will seek to recover attorney fees if she prevails in the lawsuits.

• McCoy tells Axios that he is limited to what he can say about the lawsuits but feels strongly that the county must defend itself.
• "You don't have any other options except to face it," McCoy said.