Bingham County Republicans, Idaho GOP legal battles end as judge issues new ruling
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BLACKFOOT — After a year and a half, litigation between the Bingham County Central Committee and the Idaho GOP has ended.
District Judge Darren Simpson ruled on the BCRCC’s motion that each party pay their own court fees on April 23.
This was after Simpson ruled in favor of the BCRCC’s motion to dismiss the case.
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Voided Elections
The July 2023 election of a new chairman within the BCRCC prompted a legal battle between the volunteer organization and the Idaho GOP, in which each side claimed the other failed to follow party rules.
In February 2024, Simpson ruled the State GOP and its chairwoman, Dorothy Moon, were within their right to nullify the BCRCC’s June 2023 election.
Another election was held in May 2024, where Matt Thompson, vice chairman of the BCRCC, presided. Thompson assumed the chairman’s powers while being vice-chair, which was brought into question.
In October, the BCRCC submitted a motion for partial summary judgment, asking Simpson to place a “permanent injunction” on the Idaho GOP. This would require the state party to validate the May 2024 election, and the group had breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
However, Simpson denied the motion due to issues within the BCRCC’s motion.
The first issue was the election itself. The order stated that the process to elect a new chairman was suspended due to an injunction placed on the Idaho GOP and the BCRCC.
“The BCRCC cannot use this unfortunate procedural posture to act outside the clear requirements of IRP Rules,” the order states.
It states that Thompson’s role as vice chairman and acting as interim chairman for the BCRCC did not give him the power to call an election to elect new party members.
Due to this, Simpson ordered that the May 2024 election be voided, and the Idaho GOP was released from the injunction.
The injunction had prevented the Idaho GOP calling its own reorganization meeting to elect new BCRCC officials.
The order also denied the BCRCC’s claim to partial summary judgment, stating that the motion did not properly state the group’s reasoning for validating the May 2024 election.
Attorney Fees
After the order was issued, BCRCC’s attorney Greg Chaney filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing fatigue and a pursuit of other matters.
This was granted on Jan. 24, but a new challenge came over who’s left paying the bills.
Idaho GOP attorney Bryan Smith filed a memorandum asking Simpson to award him over $85,000 in legal fees as the Idaho GOP was the “prevailing party.”
The BCRCC countered Smith’s demand and filed a declaration by BCRCC District 17 Precinct Committeeman Josh Sorenson, who said that during the winter meeting of the Idaho GOP in Garden City, Smith declared he was working pro bono.
“Smith stated to those in attendance that he had ‘donated’ roughly 250 hours of his services in defending this lawsuit,” Sorensen stated.
The declaration states that while Sorensen couldn’t pin down which date Smith allegedly said he was working for free, it was during a formal meeting to update the attendees on the lawsuit.
The BCRCC also asked Simpson to grant its order for each side to bear its attorney’s fees.
Simpson agreed with the BCRCC as each side partially succeeded and lost over the course of the case.
“In summary, both parties prevailed in part on BCRCC’s claims,” Simpson stated.
Reactions
The BCRCC posted on its Facebook page that it is “pleased that this chapter is now behind us.”
The post states that the group is disappointed in how the Idaho GOP leadership acted during the litigation.
“What should have been resolved through transparent internal processes instead became a protracted legal battle,” the post states.
Ben Fuhriman, BCRCC Committeeman for District 21 and R-Shelley, told EastIdahoNews.com that he and the BCRCC were surprised by Smith’s request for attorney fees.
“We thought we were done… that stunned us again because he had been so publicly open about working pro bono,” Fuhriman said.
Concerned over its treatment and the allegations against Smith, the BCRCC stated that its confidence in the leadership of the Idaho GOP has eroded.
“We are very skeptical of anything our current party leadership says or does. Trust is foundational to good governance, and it is difficult to place trust in those who do not act transparently or in the best interests of those they represent,” the post states.
Looking at this experience as a source of failed leadership, Fuhriman said the BCRCC is made up of volunteers who do their best to follow precedent. In this case, instead of a phone call to clear any errors, they were met with litigation.
“This isn’t a case of they broke the rules, and so they should be punished. This is a case of this dysfunctional state party and the leadership that is lacking,” Fuhriman said.
GOP Party Watch, a nonprofit and watchdog group, has filed a complaint about Smith with the Idaho Secretary of State, Idaho State Bar, Bingham County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police.
The complaints allege that Smith and the Idaho GOP failed to disclose legal fees, potential conspiracy to conceal financial obligations and ethical misconduct by legal counsel.
Fuhriman said the BCRCC ended the case for several reasons, mostly wanting to move on from this experience.
The upside of this incident was the county coming together to support the BCRCC.
“It really kind of opened people’s eyes and it made us stronger, I would say that our central committee is more united and stronger now than it’s ever been before,” Fuhriman said.
After EastIdahNews.com published this story, Smith sent us the following statement:
“I do not respond to inquiries from East Idaho News because, in my opinion and based on my experience, East Idaho News is not a legitimate news source. Instead, in my opinion and based on my experience, East Idaho News is Frank VanderSloot’s personal public relations firm disguised as a media outlet.”