Council approves another $33,440 in fees for Darr’s attorneys

Columbus Council unanimously approved paying $33,440 in attorney fees to law firms representing Sheriff John Darr in his lawsuit against the city.

The fees include $9,116 to W. Kerry Howell, $14,831 to Walker, Hulbert, Gray and Moore, and $9,495 to James, Bates, Brannan and Groover.

Darr is one of four elected officials suing the city over their budgets. Superior Court Clerk Linda Pierce, Marshal Greg Countryman and Municipal Court Clerk Vivian Creighton Bishop are the others.

Because they are constitutional officers, the city must pay attorney fees for Darr and Pierce. Countryman and Bishop must pay their own fees, but the city has to pay attorneys to defend against their lawsuit.

In total, the city has paid more than $2.8 million for both defense and plaintiff costs in the lawsuits since they were filed in late 2014. Case by case, the city has spent or been billed for $1.75 million in the Darr suit, $640,830 in the Pierce suit and $432,180 in the Countryman-Creighton Bishop suit.

This story was originally published October 25, 2016 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Council approves another $33,440 in fees for Darr’s attorneys."