City Paid $1.2-million for Outside Investigation into Eagle Raid

The City of Atlanta has paid nearly $1.5-million to settle claims of police misconduct related to the botched 2009 raid on the Atlanta Eagle, a Midtown gay bar.

WABE has now learned the city spent nearly that much for an outside investigation into the case.

According to 150 pages of bills obtained by WABE, Atlanta law firm Greenberg Traurig charged the city $1,233,853.

The firm charged anywhere from $75 per hour to $395 per hour for its attorneys’ services.

For months, WABE sought access to the bills under Georgia’s Open Records Act.  The city repeatedly denied the request, finally agreeing to turn them over Friday. 

Greenberg Traurig’s report confirmed the Atlanta Police Department largely mishandled the matter. 

That’s the same conclusion of the Atlanta Citizen Review Board. 

The difference–since the ACRB is an arm of city government, its bill: $0.