Douglas County fight for attorney fees heads to Colorado Supreme Court – Denver Gazette

Douglas County fight for attorney fees heads to Colorado Supreme Court  Denver Gazette

Former Commissioner Lora Thomas and the current board are renewing efforts to recover attorney fees in connection with a lawsuit Thomas filed in 2023. Former Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas and the current Board of County Commissioners are renewing efforts to recover attorney fees in connection with a lawsuit Thomas filed in 2023. On Thursday, Thomas petitioned the Colorado Supreme Court to review an appeals court’s rejection of her request for $5,715 in attorney fees from the county. She asked the Supreme court to either reverse the court decision or remand the matter for further proceedings. Two days earlier, the board renewed its request for $135,588 in attorney fees from Thomas.

The dispute stems from two investigations launched in 2022 by commissioners Abe Laydon and George Teal into Thomas’ conduct and her disclosure of county information. Thomas retained outside legal counsel during the investigations and has argued that neither inquiry found legal wrongdoing or resulted in any enforcement action against her. After the investigations concluded, Thomas sought reimbursement from Douglas County for about $5,715 in legal fees. When Laydon and Teal denied the request, she filed suit in 2023. In the lawsuit, Thomas argued that the board acted unlawfully by directing the county attorney to investigate a sitting commissioner and that Colorado law required the county to cover her legal