On May 8th, the law firm Featherstun, Gaumer, Stocks, Flynn, & Eck LLP sued the Shelby County Board and Shelby County Treasurer, Ms. Erica Firnhaber, in regards to a debt of $15,444.43 still owed to the law firm for work performed for the Shelby County Board by Ed Flynn during the 2014-2015 fiscal year and legal fees.

In 2014 Shelby County Chairman Bruce Cannon approached the board to ask them to approve the appointment of Flynn to perform work on labor relations. Flynn had already performed work for other counties in the area. 

Another lawsuit was filed on June 9th of this year by future Shelby County Chairman Mark Bennett.  Bennett filed the lawsuit against the Shelby County Board, Ed Flynn, and his law firm. The lawsuit says that the Shelby County Board overstepped its reach by hiring Flynn to perform those labor relations. Bennett says that the contract between Flynn and the County is void from the start because the Board did not have approval to retain an attorney using taxpayer money without a court appointment, or authorization by the law. Neither of which Bennett is saying the Shelby County Board had done. 

There is concern from Bennett that taxpayers will be forced to pay the legal fee tab owed to the firm and the lawsuit states that since the contract was void from the beginning, no fees should have to be paid.