After prevailing in court in February, the former Salt Lake County mayor expected to recoup her legal fees - all $196,000. Instead - after first asking for an extension - the DA's office has offered $30,000, saying the amount is reasonable since it mirrors the cost of its prosecution.
"A capital murder case would draw a $200,000 defense. This is a garden-variety felony," says John Soltis, civil litigation director for the DA.
Workman's attorney Greg Skordas isn't buying it. So, by the end of the month, he and Workman will return to court - this time on the offensive.
"The county won't even talk to us, so I guess we'll go to court to have a face-to-face conversation," Skordas says.
To give the move more weight, Skordas, a former Salt Lake County prosecutor, is also floating a malicious-prosecution lawsuit. And that has the DA upset.
"He knows this office, he knows the work we do," Soltis says. "Mr. Skordas should quit posturing and address the issues in this case."
That includes resolving whether Workman committed fraud or willful misconduct, which would provide the county an out under the state's Government Immunity Act.
"He disregards that issue," adds Soltis, calling the reimbursement amount "totally unreasonable."
Utah County Attorney Kay Bryson, who worked with a panel of special prosecutors to screen the Workman case, says a malicious-prosecution suit would not hold water.
"Our group was asked to examine the facts, Bryson says. "We felt there was probable cause."
In February, a jury cleared Workman of two felony charges of misusing public funds to hire two bookkeepers to assist her daughter at the South Valley Boys and Girls Clubs.
Under state law, government officials charged with crimes are entitled to reimbursement if they are acquitted. Still, while off the hook criminally, Soltis notes the willful-misconduct standard has yet to be proved in the Workman case.
But Skordas says the legal question was not addressed in the county's brief response to his payment request.
"It was one of the most disappointing letters I've ever seen in my life," he says.
"There's no explanation, no justification, no invitation to have a conversation. Nothing at all. They won't even engage us in dialogue."
The former mayor, who was traveling Wednesday and unavailable for comment, also is awaiting word on how she can spend $174,873 in campaign contributions that has been tucked in a private account since she withdrew from the mayor's race.
During the trial, questions surfaced about whether Workman could use the cash for legal fees. Attorneys for the DA insist the money must be used for "political purposes," but concede the definition is broad.
So, as the latest legal wrangling runs on, that money sits.
And Skordas says the imminent tussle over the other six figures could have been avoided.
"Now, the suit will be litigated and the county will have to spend even more public money," he says. "That's the horrible thing about this."
djensen@sltrib.com
