The City’s Defense of the Anderson Case Has Cost Over $25,000, So Far

JONESBORO, Ark. – The law firm representing the City of Jonesboro for the alleged illegal termination of a police department employee stands to make over $25,000 off of their work.

NEA Report submitted a records request to Fuqua Campbell, P.A. for their records associated with the Rachel Anderson case last week. On Monday, the request was delivered, which included records of invoices by the law firm to the Arkansas Municipal League (AML), who is paying for the defense (Anderson’s legal team has a separate lawsuit against the AML, leading them to employ outside counsel in this case to avoid a conflict).

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In December 2023, $5,395 was invoiced. Most of that was attorney Christopher Stevens researching or drafting responses to the motion for a preliminary injunction and the name-clearing hearing. 

In January 2024, $4,520 was invoiced. Much of the itemized invoice includes preparations for the hearing held in late January. The day before the hearing, attorneys met for almost five hours to research what constitutes an allegation of “dishonesty.” City leaders had sought to portray Anderson’s comments at a public meeting that resulted in her termination as untruthful. 

February was significantly busier for the case, resulting in $6,966 being added to the city’s tab. The month began with attorneys researching and analyzing the court order granting the motion for a preliminary injunction. Lawyers researched the rules for appealing and motioning to reconsider. Many of these calls included someone from Jonesboro’s city attorney office. Although Assistant City Attorney Heather Owens participated in the court proceedings, City Attorney Carol Duncan was also involved, email chains show. Also, on February 14, attorney Annie Depper logged half of an hour reviewing Anderson’s radio appearance discussing the case. Anderson appeared on the Dave Elswick Show on 101.1 FM The Answer with her lawyer, Luther Sutter, to discuss the case.

March was the busiest month yet for the case, with the law firm billing the AML $8,540 more. Much of that came on March 1, as both Annie Depper and Christopher Stevens prepared for the hearing on the motion to reconsider. At $220 an hour for each, the nearly eight-hour day resulted in $3,300 being added to the tab. Later in the month, on March 28, both Depper and Stevens again billed a 7.5 hour day totaling $3,300, this time to attend mediation. The law firm also reviewed documents related to the unemployment hearing held for Anderson. 

• December – $5,395
• January – $4,520
• February – $6.966
• March – $8,540
• Total (Through March) – $25,421

However, the final total could be significantly higher. 

The invoices received by NEA Report do not include billable hours for April. Both sides were locked in mediation for the first half of the month, with an agreement finally being reached this week to settle the case. The proposal will go before the Jonesboro City Council at tonight’s meeting to receive final approval.

Resolution Anderson Resolution

Full Records – Invoices