A court trial for the budget lawsuit filed by Crow Wing County Attorney Don Ryan against the county board is set for August.
The case is assigned to Cass County Judge David Harrington, following recusal orders from all five Crow Wing County judges. The trial is scheduled for Aug. 1-4, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. June 29. A conference call to discuss the scope of discovery in the trial is set for 3:30 p.m. March 7.
Ryan, who was elected county attorney in 1994, is suing the board over his 2017 budget proposal, alleging funds the board approved are not reasonable for the duties required of his office.
In its most recent action on the matter, the county board approved retention of legal counsel to represent it in the lawsuit, and Twin Cities attorney Scott Anderson was hired.
Anderson is a founding shareholder of Rupp, Anderson, Squires and Waldspurger P.A. in Minneapolis. A biography of Anderson on the firm's website notes he is a senior litigator with 28 years of experience, and his primary client base is counties.
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County Administrator Tim Houle said Anderson's rate is $185 per hour and the cost of defending the county would depend on how long the litigation takes. Previous settled cases cost between $10,000 and $15,000, Houle said, and if it goes to trial, the county could expect an additional $10,000 to $15,000 in legal fees.
This does not count the fees associated with Ryan's legal representation, for which the county will also be responsible. By phone Wednesday, Ryan said he is representing himself on the case, although he will reconsider his representation should the case proceed to the trial phase without settlement.
