Rapid City Mayor Wants to be Dismissed from Lawsuit

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Rapid City Mayor Sam Kooiker wants a judge to dismiss him from a lawsuit filed by a former city landfill employee who claims Kooiker's actions and shoddy police work cost him his job and damaged his reputation.

The Rapid City Journal reports Magistrate Judge John Simko of Sioux Falls will decide whether Kooiker is immune from such claims because he was doing his job as a city councilman.

Randy Meidinger was fired as a landfill scale house attendant in 2009 after a police investigation prompted by Kooiker's probing of landfill practices. Meidinger was later cleared of all criminal charges.

Meidinger sued the city, Kooiker and city employees in federal court last year, claiming his constitutional rights were violated. The city has asked a judge to dismiss the case.

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