COEUR d'ALENE - Kootenai County's public defender filed a $1.5 million claim accusing the county of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Idaho Human Rights Act.

County commissioners in March 2013 passed - and soon after rescinded - a resolution that would have ended John Adams' longtime career as the county's public defender.

A tort claim filed in September by Adams and his wife, Teresa, alleges commissioners made the decision to fire Adams after he told Commissioner Todd Tondee he was battling cancer.

Though the county's three commissioners voted unanimously not to renew Adams' contract that fall, Tondee later told The Press that he was the only one on the board who knew of Adams' medical condition.

Their decision generated a groundswell of support for Adams and strong backlash from other attorneys in the community.

According to the claim, Adams formally complained to the county in February 2013 that Commissioner Jai Nelson had been "harassing him by subjecting him to hostility, steadily and increasingly interfering with his legal duties" and causing stress.

Shortly after filing the complaint against Nelson, Adams told Tondee that he had been diagnosed with cancer and "would be unable to attend county-wide department head meetings, as they usually were scheduled to take place after his chemotherapy appointments," according to the claim.

The claim states that Adams told Tondee he would continue to "work hard" and "work his usual 50-60 hour work weeks," but would tell Tondee if there was a point in his battle with cancer that he could no longer keep up with his job.

Adams said that two weeks later he received a letter from the commissioners saying they had passed a resolution and his term of office would expire on Sept. 30.

"I get this one-line memo (from the commissioners) saying my services are no longer required," Adams told The Press at the time of his firing. "It seems like pretty shabby treatment for someone who put in 17 years."

Tondee and Commissioner Dan Green soon voted to rescind the resolution. Nelson was not at the meeting.

The officials released a press release saying once the entire board learned of Adams' health concerns, they decided "it was in the best interest of all concerned" to rescind the resolution.

Adams declined to comment Friday on the tort claim. His attorney, James Siebe, could not immediately be reached for comment.

As public defender, Adams has handled more than 25 murder cases and seven death penalty cases. He received the Idaho State Bar's Professionalism Award in December 2013.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho honored Adams in February with the Dave Judy Civil Rights Service Award for civil rights work.