A district court judge awarded $25,000 in attorney's fees to Mineral County Sheriff Ryan Funke on Oct. 13.

The ruling is related to a lawsuit Funke filed in July 2023 against Mineral County commissioners. He claimed the commissioners violated a settlement agreement when they intervened in his hiring of Deputy Sheriff Micah Allard.  

A component of the agreement reserved full hiring authority of qualified deputies to the county sheriff. It was signed in May 2023 to settle two separate lawsuits filed in 2022 against the sheriff and county attorney. 

Judge Shane Vannatta based his October ruling on a provision in the same agreement, which awarded attorney's fees to the prevailing party in a lawsuit. 

"The sheriff brought this action to enforce the agreement," Vannatta wrote in his order filed with Missoula County District Court. "The court resolved two disputes, and the sheriff prevailed in both."

Funke received a favorable ruling in November 2024 when the court decided that Allard's previous employment discrepancies failed to warrant disclosure in criminal cases under Brady law.  

The sheriff prevailed again on May 13 when Vannatta found that allegations of misconduct against Funke when he was a Lake County deputy didn't constitute Brady material.  

However, the judge subtracted $6,862 in traveling expenses from Missoula to Whitefish and Superior from Funke's original request. 

"Indeed, no law degree or specialized skill is required to drive the public highways of Montana," Vannatta wrote. 

Report for America Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.