MACON, Ga. — What could be the final hearing for former Bibb Schools Superintendent Romain Dallemand will happen early next week in Macon federal court.
The case dates back to 2016, when the school district accused Dallemand and more than a dozen others of defrauding the district of millions of dollars through technology deals.
The school board sued for nearly $9 million in damages but the costly legal battle hasn't collected nearly as much.
The school board has paid roughly $1.4 million in legal fees since 2016, according to documents obtained by WMAZ in an open records request.
Between what it's already collected in settlements or been scheduled to receive, the board will get between about $1.3 million and $1.4 million.
There are still legal bills to be paid.
The board could also collect more if the hearing next week goes its way.
Dallemand is the only defendant left in the case -- all the others have either settled or otherwise been removed from the case.
In a letter from federal prison, he told the judge he's now broke and won't appear in court to fight the lawsuit.
That said, current Bibb School Board President Lester Miller says if a judge enters a judgement against Dallemand, they'll do everything they can to get their money, no matter how long it takes.
"He's going to have to live and have something for the rest of his life," Miller said. "It's not like we're going to look the other way if we find some money there for our taxpayers."
If the trend stays the same, though, it's likely the civil case will end as something of a wash.
The school district might come out with a little bit of a profit in the case or it might land slightly in the red.
Either way, it will probably end up with far less than the nearly $9 million claimed in damages.
Is that result worth the effort?
Miller says yes, because for him, it was always about more than just the money.
"Just like we expect our teachers to be held accountable in the classroom and our administrators to be held accountable, they have to know we have their back and we're going to hold others accountable," said Miller.
He also noted the board has received about $1.9 million from the criminal case involving many of the same defendants.
In all, he says they've collected about $3.3 million between the civil and criminal cases so far.
Miller also said those legal fees have not cut into the school district's educational budget.