Timeline
2004
March 1 – Marina Kalani is hired as the third coordinator in two years to oversee Kootenai County’s Juvenile Education and Training (JET) Court, a program that provides an alternative to jail for juveniles facing drug charges.
2005
Feb. 16 – JET Court ends abruptly after its judge quits, saying he had “serious concerns about ongoing personnel problems and legal issues.”
March 2 – The Kootenai County Commission starts investigating JET Court finances, specifically how donations and private money were spent in addition to a three-year, $498,000 federal grant.
March 10 – The Spokesman-Review requests e-mails between Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas and JET Court Coordinator Marina Kalani, who was hired by Douglas.
March 11 – The County Commission extends its investigation by asking for all e-mails and correspondence between Douglas and Kalani.
March 21 – Kootenai County releases heavily edited copies of roughly half of 1,060 e-mail exchanges between Douglas and Kalani. The county released 461 e-mails but refused to make public another 599, saying in most cases they “appear not to relate to the conduct or administration of the public’s business.”
March 22 – Kalani voluntarily resigns after county commissioners make it clear they no longer want to provide money for a revised JET Court program that would replace the now-defunct juvenile court.
March 23 – Kalani receives a $69,150 settlement payment from the county’s insurer for a claim having to do with “errors/omissions.” The insurance company’s attorney defined those types of claims as “employment mistakes.” The payment wasn’t disclosed publicly until April 21, 2005.
March 25 – The Spokesman-Review sues Kootenai County commissioners to gain access to all e-mail between Douglas and Kalani.
April 18 – Second District Court Judge John Stegner rules that e-mails between Douglas and Kalani are public records and are not exempt from the Idaho open records law.
May 17 – Stegner demands to see the settlement agreement that resulted in the $69,150 payout to Kalani, saying it may be relevant to the newspaper’s lawsuit seeking e-mails between Kalani and Douglas.
July 1 – Stegner rules the public has a right to read the full contents of the emails, and they are not protected by privacy laws.
July 18 – The settlement agreement between Kootenai County’s insurer and Kalani is ruled a closed document by Stegner. But an affidavit that may disclose the reasons for the payout to Kalani should be opened, he rules.
Aug. 2 – The county’s insurer releases the affidavit that says Kalani received the settlement after she threatened to sue the county over an allegedly “false and defamatory” memo written by the District 1 Juvenile Detention Center manager criticizing her job performance.
Aug. 30 – A probation officer who worked for the failed juvenile drug court files a $354,000 tort claim against the county, alleging she was verbally abused, harassed and intimidated by Douglas when she voiced concerns about the management of JET Court. The claim also alleges that Douglas was having an affair with Kalani.
Oct. 28 – Douglas drops his appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court, saying he no longer wants the distraction of the lawsuit while he is prosecuting the triple-murder case against Joseph Duncan. Kalani continues her appeal.
2006
Nov. 3 – Douglas confirms that his chief deputy, Rick Baughman, is under investigation for allegedly sexually harassing female colleagues. Douglas calls for a third-party investigation.
Nov. 29 – Kootenai County releases e-mails that show Baughman sent sexually explicit e-mails and graphic images on his county computer to two former co-workers who have accused him of sexual harassment. One of the women also sent Baughman nude photos and sex videos via county e-mail. Elected officials call for an investigation into potential widespread abuse of county e-mail and Internet use.
Dec. 6 – Baughman claims a “privacy interest” in the vast majority of e-mails he exchanged with female colleagues, including some sexually explicit e-mails that were widely circulated among county employees. A log the county releases reveals that 65 percent of e-mails Baughman sent and received in October had nothing to do with work, even as his office was preparing for the Duncan trial.
2007
Feb. 1 – Baughman resigns as chief deputy prosecutor. He had been on paid leave since Nov. 6, 2006, during the independent investigation into sexual harassment allegations.
Feb. 7 – The Spokesman-Review sues Kootenai County for release of the Baughman e-mails and the records from a publicly-funded independent investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against him.
April 3 – The Idaho Supreme Court hears arguments about whether Kalani’s $69,150 settlement and e-mails she exchanged with Douglas are public records.
April 4 – Judge Stegner says that hundreds of messages between Baughman and the women he is accused of harassing are public, but he decides not to make a formal ruling until the Supreme Court acts on the similar e-mail case involving Douglas and Kalani.
May 4 – The Supreme Court rules unanimously that more than 1,000 e-mails exchanged between Douglas and Kalani are public records, not exempt from disclosure, but denies public access to Kalani’s settlement agreement. The court’s ruling is expected to affect the newspaper’s pending lawsuit to gain access to the Baughman e-mails.
May 24 – Kalani asks the Supreme Court to reconsider its opinion.
June 11 – Kalani withdraws her request.
July 3 – The Spokesman-Review receives nearly 300 e-mails between Douglas and Kalani that had been heavily redacted in an earlier release. The newspaper is still awaiting the release of about 600 additional e-mails previously unreleased.
From staff reports