BOISE, Idaho — On Tuesday, Ada County District Judge Jason Scott ordered Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador’s office to pay $242,726.02 in legal fees and court costs to the State Board of Education.
The fees come in relation to the AG's lawsuit regarding the SBE's discussions of the proposal to buy the University of Phoenix. Labrador had sued saying the board violated Idaho's open meetings laws when they met in closed executive sessions on several occasions to discuss the $685 million deal.
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The State Board released a statement, saying that the lawsuit brought on by Labrabor was "unnecessary and unsuccessful." The statement went on to say "The State Board is grateful to be vindicated by the court once again. Although the attorney general must pay those costs from his budget, it is profoundly unfortunate that taxpayers ultimately must bear the cost of this frivolous litigation.”
Labrador's office responded by saying, "We disagree with the decision and expect to prevail on appeal. At the end of the day, this attorneys’ fees decision will not matter.”
