Walker County has paid about $65,000 to attorneys in its fight with Erlanger Health System.
Most of that money – $62,400 – has gone to the office of Stuart James, whom the county hired last year to fight Erlanger in U.S. District Court, records show. Another $2,500 went to Cartersville attorney Frank Jenkins.
Walker County is battling an Erlanger lawsuit that seeks $8.5 million. The county made public information on its payments to outside attorneys in a news release Wednesday as a response to an open records request filed last week.
The open records request, however, has not yielded any documents to confirm the amount of money paid. After the Times Free Press asked for any checks from the county to James or Jenkins (or invoices and bills from the attorneys), an administrative assistant said Thursday that no such records exist.
James and Walker County Attorney Don Oliver did not return calls seeking comment.