MISSOULA, Mont. — Three Missoula Municipal Court judges and the court administrator have filed a legal complaint against the City of Missoula, saying the city wrongly withheld a full investigative report tied to complaints about City Attorney Keithi Worthington.
The complaint said Judges Jennifer Streano, Jacob Coolidge and Eli Parker, along with Court Administrator Kari Dady, want the full report released or reviewed by a judge in private before any limited redactions. They also asked the court to block the city from requiring a non-dissemination agreement or mediation before release.
At the center of the case is a report prepared by outside attorney Jordan Crosby after city leaders opened an investigation in 2025. The filing said the report examined concerns raised by the judges about Worthington’s conduct, communication and interactions with Municipal Court operations.
The lawsuit said the city first shared only a shortened summary on October 27, 2025. According to the complaint, city officials later said the full report could be shared only if the judges agreed not to distribute it and agreed to mediation.
The plaintiffs argued the report covered public business, including court operations, victim-notice processes, warrants, public safety and the relationship between the court and the City Attorney’s Office. They said Montana’s constitutional right to know favored disclosure because the report involved public officials and the administration of justice.Â
The complaint also laid out a longer history of conflict between the court and Worthington’s office. It said those disputes involved court procedures, prosecutorial authority, data presented to the City Council and separation-of-powers concerns.
The filing said city administrators told the judges that the investigation found areas where Worthington could improve her tone, communication and handling of some issues.Â
The filing also said the city maintained the report was a confidential personnel matter and not public information.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.