Minn. County Must Pay for Lawyer for Mother in Child-Custody Case

Everyone agreed that a mother at risk of losing custody of her child needed a lawyer. But who would pay the attorney's fees? She couldn't afford to, and officials for Rice County and the state of Minnesota pointed the finger at each other.

Upholding County Judge Thomas Neuville, a state appeals court ruled today that he did not err by appointing a private lawyer to represent the mother and requiring Rice County to foot the bill, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The article doesn't say whether the county, which argued that Neuville should have appointed a state public defender to handle the case, intends to file any further appeal in the case.