Manatee County commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday to pay up to $60,000 in legal fees associated with a civil lawsuit alleging commissioners failed to produce public records tied to the firing of former County Administrator Cheri Coryea.
County Attorney Will Clague recommended commissioners vote in favor of covering the costs, citing concern that if they did not, the county could set a precedent inviting future legal challenges to controversial decisions simply to put financial pressure on elected officials.
The costs, estimated at a total of $55,900, would cover settlement payments from commissioners Kevin Van Ostenbridge and James Satcher to area paralegal Michael Barfield, who filed the civil lawsuit in December. The majority of the costs cover legal fees charged by the private attorneys representing the two commissioners.