Olympia activist gets county billing records

By Keri Brenner | The Olympian • Published July 23, 2008

OLYMPIA -- Attorneys for Thurston County have handed over more than 300 pages of their billing records to Olympia activist Arthur West. The delivery was the result of a June Court of Appeals ruling that said West had the right to inspect attorney invoices, including notes on the nature of the charges, under newly strengthened state Public Records Act provisions.

West's case involves attorney billings in the sex discrimination lawsuit Broyles vs. Thurston County.

The case, which the county lost in a three-week trial in November 2006, is pending a decision on appeal to the state Court of Appeals.

Meanwhile, an Olympian investigation last year indicated that, including the pending $1.52 million jury award and another $1.45 million in plaintiff attorney fees, Thurston County and its liability insurance providers could end up paying more than $6.2 million in legal bills in the case.

For more on this story, see Thursday's Olympian.