Shasta County ordered to pay newspaper's legal fees after losing public records case
Shasta County officials were ordered Monday to pay nearly $90,000 in legal fees to the Record Searchlight after the county lost a lawsuit the paper filed to force the county to release thousands of pages of public records related to an investigation into the sheriff's office.
Christopher Pisano, a lawyer hired to represent the county, argued in court Monday that the Record Searchlight did not file on time its request for reimbursement of legal fees and costs.
But Shasta County Superior Court Judge Stephen Baker disagreed and ordered the county to reimburse the newspaper $89,157.
The sum does not include the amount the county spent in legal costs in its attempt to keep the documents secret. That amount was not available Monday. When the newspaper asked the county last year for the amount spent in legal costs and fees in the case, officials declined to provide that information.
The Record Searchlight's attorney, Walt McNeill, said outside the court on Monday that the costs to represent the newspaper were about three times the amount the paper paid in previous court fights over public records. He said the higher costs were due to the effort from the county's lawyers to attempt to prevent releasing of the information.
"What was different about this case was you had an approach by the county that used trench warfare to prevent release of public records," McNeill said. "They objected at every conceivable opportunity and forced the court and the newspaper to work three times as hard to get the records released."
During Monday's hearing, Pisano who works for Best Best & Krieger, the law firm that represented the county, asked Baker to put off making a decision on legal fees because he wanted to file more written arguments against the newspaper's request. Baker denied his motion.
Even the judge noted the extensive efforts that went into the case by the county and McNeill.
"I continue to be impressed with both sides through this whole dispute over public records," Baker said. "There's been zealous advocacy from both sides and I appreciate that."
Prior to filing a lawsuit against the county, the Record Searchlight submitted four requests for public records, seeking copies of an investigation into claims of mismanagement under former Sheriff Eric Magrini.
The newspaper also sought copies of communications related to Magrini's resignation as sheriff and subsequent transfer to become assistant county executive officer.
The county declined to hand over most of those documents, including the investigation, called the Ellis Report. So in July 2022, the newspaper filed a lawsuit in Superior Court asking a judge to force the county to turn over the records.
In April 2023, Baker ordered the county to turn over the investigation and the communications, with privileged material redacted. The county asked the court to vacate its ruling or hold a new trial. Baker denied both requests.
More than two years after the newspaper initially requested the documents, in August 2023, the county finally handed over the records.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County must pay legal fees after losing public records lawsuit
