Idaho pays nearly $1.3 million in police whistleblower case

Two years ago, an Ada County jury awarded an Idaho State Police investigator $1.5 million in a whistleblower lawsuit he filed against the agency.

Brandon Eller thought the case was over, but the judge reduced the award to $1 million, and Eller and ISP appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court.

The Idaho Statesman reports on Thursday, the case finally resolved with the state paying Eller $1.29 million in damages, lost wages and legal fees.

Eller, a crash investigator, filed the whistleblower lawsuit in 2015, claiming ISP retaliated against him because he testified against another officer in a court hearing.

The Idaho Supreme Court ruled the district judge erred in reducing the jury’s award and sent the case back to court, but both sides settled the case for $1.29 million.