九色

Idaho’s former Department of Administration director and its chief technology officer are being targeted by a company that says they illegally denied it a role in a $60 million broadband deal.

Syringa Networks now has a hearing May 16 in state court in Boise where it will seek to add a complaint against former Administration director Mike Gwartney and CIO Greg Zickau.

Syringa contends the two maliciously denied it a piece of the Idaho Education Network, giving it instead to Qwest Communications by inappropriately rewriting the contract.

The filing was expected, after the Idaho Supreme Court in March reinvigorated Syringa’s 2009 lawsuit against Idaho.

In their ruling, justices suggested Gwartney helped bend state contracting rules to Qwest’s advantage.

Gwartney has denied wrongdoing.

Zickau didn’t return a request for comment.

Topics Lawsuits