The city of Decatur has spent more than $42,000 on legal fees to defend itself against a lawsuit filed by former Decatur police Chief Brad Sweeney, according to financial records.
It’s no small amount of money for a government that continues to balance declining property values, anemic sales tax revenue and the need to repair aging infrastructure. But the city’s attorneys say it had little choice but to defend itself against the wrongful termination claim, which has been dismissed by both circuit and appellate court judges.