The Anchorage Assembly has changed how the city’s law department publicly discloses legal settlements.
Since 2023, the city attorney has released a quarterly report listing every legal claim the city settles out of court. The move came amid a number of high-profile lawsuits filed against the city under the administration of Mayor Dave Bronson.
City Attorney Eva Gardner had proposed doing away with the public reports entirely, citing concerns over the possibility of an increase in frivolous lawsuits against the city. Instead, she proposed, the city attorney would brief the Assembly on settlements annually in an executive session, closed to the public…