CLAYTON — St. Louis County’s spending on outside attorneys has more than doubled since the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, and much of that taxpayer money was spent without oversight from county elected officials.
The county spent about $1.4 million on outside counsel last year — up from about $606,000 in 2019, and almost identical to 2022, according to a Post-Dispatch analysis of county data.
Spending on private lawyers spiked during the pandemic as the county faced a spate of lawsuits related to shutdown orders and vaccine mandates, plus a handful of civil rights lawsuits.
During that time, at the request of County Executive Sam Page and the county counselor’s office, the County Council approved an emergency rule that proved controversial: The county, in some types of lawsuits, could spend money on outside attorneys without council approval, in a move the county executive’s administration said was necessary to fight the lawsuits.
People are also reading…
Spending on outside attorneys jumped to $1.7 million in 2020 and peaked at $2 million in 2021.
Now, three years later, spending has yet to decrease to pre-pandemic levels.
A spokesperson for Page defended the spending increase this week.
“With outside counsel, we won $169 million in the Rams settlement. And with outside counsel, we were able to join the fight against big opioid companies, winning more than $45 million for St. Louis County,” spokesman Doug Moore wrote in an email. “Over the past few years, we have successfully faced a wide variety of complicated legal issues that require expertise that our county counselor’s office does not always have.”
Until the emergency rule passed in 2021, spending on outside lawyers was subject to comment and public review on council agendas.
When the council tried to reverse the rule last year, County Counselor Dana Redwing argued it sometimes took weeks or even months to get council approval, and without flexibility in hiring outside help, the county could end up paying millions in costly settlements.
Redwing did not respond to a request for comment this week.
Page last year vetoed a bill that would have reversed the rule and handed back oversight to the council.
The lack of transparency surrounding the spending is concerning, said Republican Councilman Dennis Hancock of Fenton.
“When people act like that, it’s like they’re trying to hide things,” Hancock said.
Where did the money go?
St. Louis County often hires private attorneys because they are more equipped than the county’s in-house lawyers to handle complex cases, Redwing has said.
For instance, the county recently hired Alton-based Simmons Hanly Conroy and Kansas City-based Williams Dirks Dameron to file suit against insulin-makers Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi for unfairly jacking up prices on the diabetic drug.
In that case, the spending for outside counsel did not require council approval because the lawyers won’t be paid unless they win.
Other cases where spending doesn’t require council approval are lawsuits related to civil rights, employment, or COVID-19, according to the 2021 emergency rule.
Taxpayer money has gone to at least seven law firms for help on those kinds of cases since 2019, though it’s not clear exactly how much of that money did not require council approval.
Lewis Rice has earned nearly $2.9 million since 2019, in part for assisting St. Louis County with a discrimination lawsuit from a former police commander. The suit from Lt. Troy Doyle, now the police chief in Ferguson, is ongoing.
For about $545,000, HeplerBroom has offered its expertise on civil rights suits, including one from a mother whose son died as he fled a St. Louis County police pursuit. That case remains pending in the Missouri Court of Appeals.
And the county paid Pitzer Snodgrass just under $174,500 in part to defend against another wrongful death suit involving a fatal police chase. A judge last year ruled the county was not liable in that case, and dismissed the suit.
The county departments involved in a lawsuit foot the bill, according to county ordinance.
In December, the council flexed the power it still has. It rejected a request from the county’s counselor’s office to pay Mickes O’Toole $95,000 for ongoing legal support throughout 2024.
View life in St. Louis through the Post-Dispatch photographers’ lenses. Edited by Jenna Jones.
Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Source link
Attorneys and law firms can elevate their online presence with professionally written content from SEO Content Writing Services monthly plan. Our team of experienced writers specializes in crafting blog posts, articles, and written content that accurately reflect the expertise and knowledge of our clients in the legal field. With a keen eye for detail and a thorough understanding of legal terminology, we provide high-quality writing that helps our clients stand out from their competition and engage with their target audience. Trust SEO Content Writing Services for one time article writing or monthly written content to handle all of your written content needs and showcase your law firm's expertise.
If you need written content, blog posts, or articles professionally written for your website, we can help. Go HERE to find out more.
or email us here: myseowritingservices@gmail.com
To find out more about our article writing or blog post services, fill out the form, thank you.
