Sheriff Stanley Glanz incurs more than $12,000 in legal fees in fight against petition for grand jury probe

Document: View the redacted invoice listing $12,839 in legal expenses incurred while Sheriff Stanley Glanz unsuccessfully contested the petition for a grand jury investigation of his office.

Sheriff Stanley Glanz incurred more than $12,000 in legal expenses to his office in June from unsuccessfully fighting a petition calling for a grand jury investigation into the Sheriff’s Office, according to records released Tuesday.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office provided a redacted invoice through June 30 that lists $12,839 in expenses for 53 hours of work. The Tulsa World had filed an open records request with the office for access to them. All but 4.4 of those hours were listed as billable.

The petition’s legal battle spilled into July, along with the grand jury selection process. That means more expenses were incurred that haven’t yet been released.

The contract, which county commissioners approved, is with the law firm of McDonald McCann Metcalf & Carwile. It allows the firm to charge the Sheriff’s Office up to $265 an hour for attorneys John Carwile and James McCann, as well as up to $165 an hour for associate lawyers.

Marq Lewis, leader of We the People Oklahoma and the petition effort, called for the immediate termination of the contract. Lewis pointed to Wagoner County commissioners, who this week rejected a contract for legal services between its Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Bob Colbert’s personal attorney.

Lewis said he hopes Tulsa County commissioners follow suit.

“Despite Sheriff Stanley Glanz’s statements about welcoming a grand jury, he did everything he could to stop it, including hiring high-priced attorneys with county funds and taking it all the way to the Supreme Court,” Lewis said in a statement.

Attorney Laurie Phillips represented We the People on a pro bono basis, meaning without pay.

Glanz contracting private legal services stirred up concerns in part because he was using public funds to contest a citizen petition effort. Glanz and spokesman Terry Simonson have offered reasons why the sheriff challenged the petition, including the need to follow the letter of the law.

“It is regrettable that as Mr. Lewis’ relevance in the community fades into obscurity, that he has to resort to claims that the Sheriff should be denied the most basic of rights to be represented by an attorney,” Simonson said in response Tuesday. “Mr. Lewis is not interested in the rights of all people. Only those people he decides are worthy. That’s not what the citizens of Tulsa stand for or believe.”

We the People contends statutes state Glanz must use his general counsel or an outside attorney, not both. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said hiring outside legal counsel was a viable option for the sheriff.

Glanz has stated public funds from the Sheriff’s Office fee account — including dollars from drug or property seizures and contract services — will compensate the firm.

The descriptions of services in the invoice are heavily redacted. From what is visible, the services included meetings, research of issues, telephone calls, drafts, motions and hearing preparation.

“Any entries detailing legal strategy, attorney work product, or attorney/client communications will be redacted from all legal invoices,” general counsel Meredith Baker said.

The invoice is dated July 2. Notably missing are billable hours from the June 30 hearing on the sheriff’s motion to dismiss the petition in Tulsa County District Court. Carwile and McCann were present for it.

Baker didn’t respond to a request for clarification on the issue.

The motion ultimately failed, with Presiding Judge Rebecca Nightingale ruling that dismissal of the petition would place “form over substance.”

More billable hours are expected for legal wrangling that took place after the invoice’s end date.

Glanz’s attorneys petitioned the Oklahoma Supreme Court on July 2 to accept jurisdiction and block the grand jury. Supreme Court referee Greg Albert heard arguments July 14 from McCann and Phillips during an emergency hearing.

A report on the oral arguments, along with the many pages of documents filed by both sides, were submitted to the justices. The justices unanimously decided two days later not to hear the case.

The grand jury selection process then began July 20 as initially scheduled July 20, with much of it taking place the following day. Carwile was present both days.