OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — On Monday, January 20, the Ottawa County Insurance Authority (OCIA) unanimously voted to go into a closed session with members of their Work Group to discuss litigation involving several people and organizations.
Motion: To go into a closed session and invite members of the Insurance Authority Work Group to attend the closed session for all reasons permitted under the OMA, including:
A. To consult with the attorneys regarding the strategy in connection with the pending litigation of Van Eyck, Gibbs, Kleinjans, Zimmer, Sterling, Grainger, EGLE, Estate of Nancy Klute, Calkins, Sattler, Holland-Sentinel, Cook, Strengholdt, Ritsema, Holiday Hills, Knoll, Zeeland Hospital, Mettler, Duby, Burnside, Fredericks, and Hills Sanner; pursuant to OMA section 8(e) because an open meeting would have a detrimental financial effect on the litigating or settlement position of the public body; and
B. To discuss with legal counsel a memorandum of open cases that contains attorney advice pursuant to OMA section 8(h), which is exempt from discussion or disclosure by state or federal statute, in particular, the Freedom of Information Act, which exempts from public disclosure information or records subject to attorney-client privilege and MCL 124.12, which exempts from public disclosure information concerning reserves of a group self-insurance pool.
A little over an hour and 45 minutes later, they came out with recommendations by attorney Mike Bogren to settle the lawsuit involving former Ottawa County Administrator, John Gibbs.
Gibbs originally filed a federal lawsuit in April of 2024, claiming the board of commissioners retaliated against him for criticizing the county's legal team.
That suit was tossed in early December, 2024, after a judge found Gibbs did not have protections under the First Amendment when acting in his role as county administrator.
Claims in the suit alleging the board violated Michigan's Whistleblower Protection Act and his employment agreement would need to be handled by the State Courts, per the federal judge.
When the OCIA Work Group came out of their session Monday, a motion to follow Bogren's advice was carried, but minutes from that meeting do not indicate exact details of the settlement.
The next Ottawa County Insurance Authority meeting is scheduled for March 24.
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