Idaho Judge Rules Against City in Contractor Case

A state judge has ruled against the city of Meridian in its civil lawsuit against the construction company hired to build the new city hall.

Judge Ronald J. Wilper also ruled Wednesday that the city is responsible for $1.8 million in legal fees accrued by Petra Inc. in defending its work in court.

The city sued Petra in April 2009, alleging the city was owed damages estimated at $8.5 million because of Petra’s negligence in overseeing 44 separate contractors working on the new city hall building. The 104,000-square-foot building was initially projected to cost $12.2 million, but came in at $21.4 million.

Meridian City Attorney Bill Nary says officials are disappointed in the ruling. The city has 42 days to appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court.