City attorney outlines active lawsuits, claim counts and potential federal trial date

The city attorney briefed the Common Council on multiple active legal matters, including a federal breach-of-contract case with Springbrook, personal-injury claims, a city-initiated $14,000 recovery for a damaged light pole and a code-compliance enforcement action.

He told the council that the Springbrook matter — stemming from a failed software procurement — includes cross-claims and that the city is partnering with the county to share litigation costs. The city has retained an intellectual-property specialist from a Twin Cities firm; the attorney said the case is set for trial in federal court next summer and named June or July as likely months.

The city attorney said the city is also a defendant in a personal-injury suit alleging road-condition contributions to a motorcycle crash; that matter is in discovery. He said the city sometimes sues as plaintiff, noting a current $14,000 claim for damage to a city light pole from a vehicle collision. He also described a nonmonetary lawsuit to enforce a building inspection order concerning exterior property conditions.

The attorney reported claims-processing for 2013 and 2014: the clerk’s office processed 30 claims in February 2013 and 35 claims to date in February 2014, the latter including five personal-injury claims and one allegation of police misconduct. He told councilors those claims can become lawsuits if statutes of limitation allow and offered to provide more detail in closed session.

Councilor Sweeney had requested the report from the city attorney; no formal action was taken on litigation matters during the meeting.