DAVENPORT, Iowa — A judge has ruled that the Iowa Freedom of Information Council can intervene in a case involving Davenport's $1.6 million settlement agreement with former City Administrator Corri Spiegel.
Back in November, the City revealed the agreement, citing lost wages and "emotional pain and suffering" as the reason for the agreement. The latter stems from allegations of harassment made against former Seventh Ward Alderman Derek Cornette and others who have not been named.
It's believed Spiegel sent a letter to the City demanding the separation agreement, with information as to why the payout was made. Media outlets and Davenport residents have sent FOIA requests to the City to obtain Spiegel's demand letter but those requests remain open.
Dr. David Ezra Sidran is one of the Davenport residents who sent in a FOIA request for this document. The City has since filed suit against Sidran and is seeking a declaratory judgment on the matter, or in other words, it wants the court to determine whether the City is required to release the letter under Iowa's open records laws or if it is classified as a confidential record. The City says Sidran is listed as a defendant in this case due to his records request for the documentation.
In that same suit, the Iowa Freedom of Information Council filed a motion to intervene in the case, arguing "that it should be allowed to intervene because it has a direct and substantial interest in access to public records, particularly in matters that affect the operation of government and the expenditure of taxpayer funds," court documents read. That motion has been granted and the Iowa FOIC is now an intervenor in the case.
WQAD is supporting the Iowa FOIC's efforts to have the letter released. The next hearing is set for May 14.
Spiegel settlement background
On Nov. 16, the City announced that Spiegel was leaving her position with the City. Just days later on Nov. 22, 2023, the City sent out a news release disclosing that Spiegel and the City had come to a $1.6 million settlement agreement for lost wages and "emotional pain and suffering" back on Oct. 6.
Though the agreement was settled on Oct. 6, the City did not disclose the settlement agreement until after the November municipal elections. Ever since the agreement was disclosed, several government officials and community members have expressed concern that the City may have violated Iowa's open records law by keeping the settlement process a secret.
In January, News 8 learned that Spiegel's settlement agreement and settlement agreements with two other former City employees were being investigated by Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand. The City of Davenport filed a motion to block the auditor from listening to recordings of the closed meetings.
Iowa state legislators held a government oversight hearing in Des Moines on Wednesday, March 27 to determine whether city leaders violated Iowa's open records law. Michael Meloy, the attorney for a resident suing the City over the matter, Dr. Allen Diercks, requested that the committee investigate the matter.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel