Tahlequah will pay legal fees over sales tax lawsuit

(Tahlequah-AP) -- The city of Tahlequah has agreed to pay the plaintiffs' attorneys fees in a lawsuit that revoked a sales tax election. <br><br>But the plaintiffs' attorney in the lawsuit, Monte

Thursday, January 8th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Tahlequah-AP) -- The city of Tahlequah has agreed to pay the plaintiffs' attorneys fees in a lawsuit that revoked a sales tax election.

But the plaintiffs' attorney in the lawsuit, Monte Strout, won't accept the $42,000 check because it is made out to him and both plaintiffs.

Strout says one of the plaintiffs, Kirk Erickson, wasn't his client when the settlement was made.

City Attorney Park Medearis says the city had to write the check to Strout, Erickson and the second plaintiff, Orel Dugger. Otherwise, he says, the city could have been obligated to Erickson.

Courts decided the city did not give legal notice for the tax election. The tax revenues were meant to improve Doc Wadley Stadium at Northeastern State University.