Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial says a judge should allow evidence and other confidential criminal justice information to come forward in his case against Mike Goguen, the prominent community benefactor Dial says launched a “malicious campaign” against him to tarnish his reputation and destroy his career.
Dial filed his Jan. 30 legal brief in response to Goguen’s motion to dismiss the case on procedural grounds, with the latter arguing that the police chief’s lawsuit is vindictive, malicious and lacks merit while offering up a counter-narrative suggesting Dial acted inappropriately and perhaps illegally in his official capacity — an allegation that is at the center of a separate investigation by state Justice Department officials.
In his own recent pleading, Dial says Goguen is attempting to subvert the legal process, and argues the full scope of his complaint won’t emerge until the litigation proceeds to the discovery phase, allowing both sides to exchange legal information and evidence relevant to the claim, but which is precluded from the initial filings.