A lawsuit against Boise and its former police chief will cost six times more in legal fees than originally expected.
Initially slated to cost $50,000, the legal fees will now run $299,000.
Earlier this month, the City settled the suit, filed in 2023 by Sergeant Kirk Rush.
Rush accused the former head of the BPD Ryan Lee of causing severe injury to his neck during a training exercise. Following court ordered mediation, Boise settled with Rush to the tune of $850,000.
Rush sought compensation for a 2021 incident where Lee demonstrated an unapproved neck hold on him. The officer alleges Lee’s maneuver was done in retaliation over a dispute the two men had over the force’s K-9 unit.
A spokesperson for the city said the increased cost is due to the case taking longer than expected and the city having to cover the cost of both its own defense team and that of the former police chief.
The higher legal fees will not impact the city’s budget as, per its insurance policy, it already was on the hook for the first $500,000 of the litigation costs. The rest will be covered by insurance.
Lee left the BPD in the fall of 2022 after Mayor Lauren McLean asked him to resign.
Editor's note: Lauren McLean's name was originally spelled McClean. This has been corrected.
