COEUR d’ALENE — A judge dismissed Kootenai County Assessor Béla Kovacs’ lawsuit challenging the results of the May 19 Republican primary that he lost, ruling Tuesday morning that Kovacs filed his complaint too late.

Under Idaho law, a primary election challenge must be filed with the court within five days of the date when the canvass was completed. In this case, the canvass was completed May 27, and the deadline to contest the election was June 1. Kovacs filed his complaint June 17. 

“It is, in essence, a statute of limitations,” said First District Judge Susie Jensen. “That window of time has passed.” 

Jensen did not address Kovacs’ allegation that Allyson Knapp, the former chief deputy assessor who soundly defeated him in the primary election, isn’t a Kootenai County resident. 

Kovacs’ lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, which means he cannot bring the action again. But the court’s decision leaves him free to challenge the results of the general election, in which Knapp will run uncontested. 

“That has its own timeframe and requirements,” Jensen said. 

Kovacs did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday. 

Knapp has denied Kovacs’ allegations in the past, maintaining that she is a Kootenai County resident. 

In late 2025, after Knapp announced her intention to run against Kovacs in the Republican primary election, he deemed her ineligible for a homeowner’s exemption on the Rathdrum property she owns, claiming that it’s not her primary residence. The Board of County Commissioners later upheld Knapp’s exemption on appeal. 

At the time of the appeal, Kovacs told The Press that multiple people had come to him with concerns about Knapp’s residency, prompting his office to investigate. 

Public records show that Knapp owns a property in Newman Lake, Wash., and that annual property tax statements are mailed to that address. She’s the registered agent for a real estate business formed in 2019 that lists the Newman Lake property as its street and mailing address. 

In his civil complaint, Kovacs argued that Knapp’s listing the Newman Lake address for her business and her receipt of tax statements for the property prove she resides in Washington, not Idaho. He alleges that the Newman Lake property is her primary residence. 

Records show Knapp has been the Rathdrum property’s sole owner since 2018. She provided county commissioners with vehicle registrations listing the Rathdrum address and utility bills in her name for the home. 

Public records show she has been registered to vote at the Rathdrum address since 2022, and her driver’s license lists it. Individuals must provide proof of Idaho residency to register to vote in this state or obtain an Idaho driver’s license.

Though a certificate of service dated Aug. 9 stated that a copy of the complaint was hand-delivered to Knapp at her Newman Lake property Aug. 9, Knapp said she never received service. 

“(Kovacs) knows that my primary residence is in Idaho and refuses to acknowledge that fact,” Knapp said in a declaration filed with the court, adding that she visited her Newman Lake property on the date in question. “During my time there, I was never presented with any documents related to this matter on that day or in that location.” 

Knapp defeated Kovacs in the May 19 primary election, winning with 65% of the vote and 17,451 votes.