The former Tacoma police officers acquitted in the 2020 death of Manny Ellis were denied their request to have the state cover their legal fees.
Defendants Christopher "Shane" Burbank, left, and Timothy Rankine sit in the gallery during the pre-trail motion in the trial of Tacoma Police Officers Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins and Timothy Rankine in the killing of Manny Ellis at Pierce County Superior Court Monday, Sept.
18, 2023, Tacoma, Wash. The former Tacoma police officers acquitted in the 2020 death of Manny Ellis were denied their request to have the state cover their legal fees.It took more than three years to bring this case to trial, with each officer having their legal team racking up a large bill of legal fees, but with the judge’s decision Friday, they’ll still be on the hook for paying that instead of the state footing the bill. “Attorney fees are expensive, and this was a lengthy trial, and so the motion, you know, makes sense,” Casey Arbenz, who represented Collins during the trial.Attorneys for Rankine also argued delays with prosecutors providing discovery and witness lists in the case caused mounting legal fees Rankine should be reimbursed for, but prosecutors in the case from the Attorney General’s office say according to the law, the former officers are not entitled to reimbursement here because the jury in this case did not deliver a special verdict clearing the officers of Ellis’ death by reasons of justifiable homicide, justifiable use of deadly force or self-defense. “There is no basis for sanctions in this case, and there’s no willful violation by the AGO,” Lori Ann Nicolavo of the WA Attorney General’s office said. Still, attorneys for the former officers argued that the statute isn’t completely clear, and their clients are entitled to have their legal costs covered. Ultimately, their motion was denied.“These guys lost their entire careers, faced 20 years in prison,” Arbenz said. “To say that they got a half million is, I think, borders on kind of shocking. I mean, they didn't get anything, they lost everything, and now have to move forward in their own way.”Friday’s decision essentially puts an end to the effort for the former officers to get their legal bills covered.
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