The legal bills are piling up in Escambia County Clerk Pam Childers’ quest to prove the 401(a) retirement plan for the county commissioners, which has been in effect since 1998, is illegal. Through Sept. 30, the Clerk has been billed $61,992 by attorney Matt Dannheisser and $86,547 by attorney Ed Fleming for a total of $148,539.
The Board of County Commissioner is represented by the Levin Papantonio Rafferty law firm at no cost.
The county has gotten three legal opinions that the plan is legal, but Childers refused to accept them. She also refused a request by the board to jointly go to the Attorney General for a legal opinion on the matter.
In January 2022, Childers quit cutting checks for the retirement plans for Commissioner Steven Barry, Robert Bender and Lumon May. The BCC filed a lawsuit questioning Childers’ authority to do so and asking the judge to compel her to cut the checks. Parties are currently holding depositions.
| Law Offices of Matt E. Dannheisser | |||
| As of Feb 2022 | $16,008.00 | ||
| 2/21-3/16/22 | $ 5,940.50 | ||
| 3/21-4/18/22 | $ 6,694.00 | ||
| 4/25-6/17/22 | $ 8,589.00 | ||
| 7/5-7/20/22 | $ 2,368.25 | ||
| 7/25-8/20/22 | $ 15,727.25 | ||
| 8/21-9/1/22 | $ 6,665.00 | ||
| $ 45,984.00 | |||
| Total – Dannheisser | $ 61,992.00 | ||
| McDonald Fleming | |||
| As of Feb 2022 | $ 11,672.50 | ||
| March | $ 2,703.25 | ||
| April | $ 12,137.25 | ||
| May | $ 2,593.50 | ||
| June | $ 32,565.00 | ||
| July | $ 4,264.75 | ||
| August | $ 10,686.07 | ||
| September | $ 9,924.75 | ||
| $ 74,874.57 | |||
| Total- McDonald Fleming | $ 86,547.07 | ||
| Grand Total | $ 148,539.07 | ||