JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 A state appeals court has torpedoed an attempt by 狐狸视频 city officials to recoup more than $640,000 paid out in a police civil rights lawsuit dating to 2012.
In a ruling issued Tuesday, the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District said state taxpayers are not obligated to reimburse the city for its payment to Kayla Robinson, who had won a judgment saying her civil rights were violated during a 2012 arrest.
The city had sought compensation from the state鈥檚 Legal Expense Fund because the incident in question happened when the city鈥檚 police force was still under state control.
The 狐狸视频 police department was under state control from the beginning of the Civil War until 2012, when Missouri voters put the department under local control.
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But, in a five-page decision written by Presiding Judge Lisa Page, the court said the state was not on the hook for the cost of the lawsuit because the victim鈥檚 claim against the city was not made until 2016, more than three years after control was transferred.
The state鈥檚 鈥渓iability does not arise until a claim is made, or in this instance, the filing of the suit,鈥 Page wrote.
The decision comes against the backdrop of a potential renewed effort by the Republican-controlled Legislature to return the city police to state control.
Under a proposal that won approval in the House, the police department would be put under a five-member police commission, with four members appointed by the governor and one appointed by the mayor.
While proponents argue that state control could help address crime problems in the city, opponents say it also could leave state taxpayers liable for payouts similar to the one involving Robinson.
The measure fizzled in the Senate amid Democratic pushback and Republican disagreement during the spring session鈥檚 final days.
The issue also was featured in the recent primary election for governor, when Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said he would work to place the city department back under state control.
Ashcroft won the endorsement of the 狐狸视频 Ethical Society of Police, an organization representing primarily Black 狐狸视频 police officers, but came in third in the Aug. 6 GOP primary.