If the gloves weren’t already off, they most certainly are now.

In court documents filed this summer, Libby resident and former businessman Dan Torgison has made very serious allegations about Lincoln County officials while seeking public documents from the government entity.

Torgison made additional filings June 10 in his 2025 suit against the county in relation to an alleged lack of public participation in the entity’s land dealings with Libby developer Chris Noble. They also sought an admission that two county commissioners had a conversation where they agreed that they would not hire a woman as county administrator. 

In seeking other records, Torgison’s request for information included alleged payments made by Lincoln County for the funeral of the county undersheriff and subsequent hospitality expenses.

Other record requests dealt with how PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) money was spent and further dealings with Noble.

PILT are federal funds disbursed by the U.S. Department of the Interior to local governments and counties. These payments help offset property tax losses due to the presence of non-taxable, federally owned lands—such as national forests, parks, and BLM tracts—within their boundaries.

Attorneys and county officials are calling Torgison’s latest attempts to seek public documents as a “fishing expedition” in an effort to expand his claims against both the Lincoln County Port Authority (LCPA) and the county.

“Despite continually framing these efforts as being undertaken for the public benefit, they have instead resulted in the expenditure of significant public resources in the pursuit of ever-expanding and speculative allegations,” wrote attorney Seth Bonilla in a July 9 court filing.

Bonilla is a member of the Great Falls firm Ugrin Alexander Zadick, P.C.

In the filing, county commissioners and Port Authority members sought a protective order and sanctions against Torgison and Libby attorney, Amy Guth.

Attorneys for the county say the protective order should be granted because Torgison’s requests are premature because District Judge Luke Berger has yet to rule on the Libby resident’s motion to amend his complaint. That was filed June 25, 2025.

“The scope of discovery is broad and encompasses requests that appear reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence,” Bonilla wrote. “Similarly, RFP Nos. 19-20 (requests for production) are unrelated to the allegations that the LCPA and county violated the plaintiff’s right to know and right to participate in LCPA public meetings. Accordingly, these requests are irrelevant and improper.”

But that request was rendered moot after attorneys for both sides filed further motions during the last few weeks.

The request for sanctions relates to the county’s belief that Torgison failed to respond to their legal counsel’s request to meet and discuss the matters. In a July 28 court filing, Bonilla argued that Torgison’s reply was due July 27 and because he didn’t, the request for sanctions was proper.

But Guth pointed out that Torgison answered the request on time, one week before it was due. The response, dated July 20, was filed with the Lincoln County Clerk of Court.

In more legal maneuvering, attorneys for the county said the July 20 response was not served on the county. In an Aug. 7 filing, Bonilla wrote that because the county hadn’t been served with Torgison’s July 20 brief, the county decided to seek the sanction.

“Nine days after the county filed its reply, on Aug. 6, 2026, plaintiff’s counsel (Guth) notified counsel for the county (Ugrin Alexander Zadick, P.C.) of Torgison’s reply and provided the county a copy of the filing. The county now moves to withdraw its reply brief in support and re-file a new reply to the plaintiff’s response brief,” Bonilla wrote.

Torgison didn’t object to the request and Judge Berger approved the request the same day. Attorneys for the county have until Aug. 24 to file their new reply.

Torgison made seven requests for documents and records while an eighth was a request for admission. 

Here is a summary of those requests:

- The request for admission asks Commissioners Brent Teske and Jim Hammons to admit they had a conversation in a hallway at the courthouse in which they conferred and agreed that they would not hire a woman as county administrator.

The commissioners made the decision this spring to seek a county admin following the advice of the Lincoln County Local Government Review Study Commission. In its tentative report in February, members of the review commission believed the county would benefit from a professional manager which would increase fiscal oversight, improved coordination and long-term planning.

County Human Resources Manager Dallas Bowe said 10 or 11 applications were received for the position. Ultimately, the county hired Matt Williams and he began work in early June.

Here are the seven requests Torgison made seeking county records and documents:

- Please produce all records pertaining to any and all payments made by Lincoln County for the funeral of John Hyslop and hospitality charges related to the services.

Hyslop was the county undersheriff at the time of his off-duty death in Jan. 8, 2026.

- Please produce all documents in your possession relating to any public meetings in which the above payments were approved at a public meeting;

- Please produce records of all payments made by Lincoln County from PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) for the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026;

- Please produce all documents in your possession relating to any public meetings in which the above payments were approved at an open meeting;

- Please produce records of all payments made by Lincoln County to Chris Noble or any entity owned and controlled by Chris Noble in the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026;

- Please produce all documents in your possession relating to any public meetings in which the above payments were approved at an open meeting.

- Please produce any and all records, texts, correspondence or e-mails related to agreements made between Lincoln County and Chris Noble or any entity owned by Chris Noble for the storage of dirt or other assets located on property sold by the Lincoln County Port Authority to Chris Noble or an entity owned by Chris Noble.

Torgison’s 2025 suit against the county and Port Authority sought to stop further business dealings or nullify decisions made between May 2022 and April 2025 involving Port Authority land, and the alleged violation of the right of public participation and open meeting laws.

The suit accused the Lincoln County Commission, Port Authority and others of hiding its business dealings with Noble Investment Properties, Inc., specifically the sale of 107 acres, owned by county taxpayers, from the Port Authority to Chris Noble in December 2023.

Noble paid $1.6 million for 105 acres and got a $600,000 credit for work done on Port property, including regrading the land, installing a sewer and water line and building a new concrete facility.

Noble Investments inked a deal in 2025 with Comfort Inn & Suites, a subsidiary of Choice Hotels, to sell a portion of the acreage bought by Noble to the chain to build an 80-room hotel.

Berger ultimately ruled against Torgison regarding the nullification of decisions that were made. But he has yet to rule on the public participation element of the suit.

Guth filed an appeal on Berger’s ruling directly to the Montana Supreme Court, but the state’s high court ruled April 16 that Berger’s ruling was correct.