Idaho Has Had Enough of Bryan Smith's Schemes
The Idaho Supreme Court Ruled that Idaho Freedom Foundation Vice Chairman Bryan Smith's firm Must Pay $127,000 in Legal Fees
It seems Bryan Smith just can't stop tripping over his own lies. The East Idaho News reported that Medical Recovery Services—Bryan Smith’s medical collection firm—got smacked with a court order to pay $127,000 in legal fees after suing a woman over an unpaid $460 hospital bill.
Yes, you read that right. The legal fees alone were 276 times the original bill for a medical collections case that never should have been brought in the first place.
Smith has hurt a lot of people over the years through his medical debt collection system and residents of Southeast Idaho are thrilled to finally see him held accountable.
The Business of Making People Miserable
Smith is medical debt collection attorney, Vice Chairman of the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF), and serves as the National Committeeman for the Idaho GOP. He has made a fortune suing working-class Idahoans over medical debt.
People who went to the ER for a broken arm or for cancer treatment over the years often found themselves under the thumb of Smith’s legal schemes, where the rules were stacked in his favor.
With the recent Idaho State Supreme Court ruling that one of Smith’s medical debt collection lawsuits was so egregious it warranted a six-figure judgement against him, Smith is facing yet another public embarrassment. That’s gotta sting—but probably not as much as the relentless ridicule he’s enduring in the comment sections of East Idaho News’ Facebook page.
Here are a few of the nearly 150 comments slamming Bryan Smith, and his questionable business practices.
It’s no secret that Bryan Smith is deeply unpopular in his hometown of Idaho Falls. Yet, whether driven by pride, arrogance, or a complete detachment from reality, he keeps running for office—despite voters repeatedly rejecting him. He’s lost two congressional races and was soundly defeated in a state legislative race last year.
Perhaps inflicting financial misery on others isn’t enough for him; he also seems to relish the humiliation of electoral defeat. Still, he clings to power through his cult-like grip on the Idaho Republican Party, attempting to control from the shadows what he could never win at the ballot box.
Smith’s firm has sued so many people in East Idaho (literally thousands), that during the voir dire portion of trials at the Bonneville County courthouse, Smith will ask if any of the jury candidates have been sued by his firm… far too often multiple hands go will up and they are disqualified from serving in that case.
The Idaho Patient Act—The One Law Smith Could Not Break
Smith’s medical debt collection tactics were so bad that the Idaho Patient Act was passed specifically to curb his firm’s prolific and extraordinary practices. The law capped attorneys' fees and forced him to change tactics—something Smith and his Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) machine fought hard to prevent.
The IFF, ever the reliable political shield for Smith’s self-serving business interests, scored the bill a -9, making it clear that protecting Idaho families from aggressive medical debt lawsuits was not a conservative principle. Meanwhile, Smith’s MRS made a donation $1,000 to then-Rep. Tammy Nichols’ campaign—just days before she voted to kill the bill in a House committee hearing. Unfortunately for Smith and his political machine, their combined efforts failed, and the bill passed with only the most loyal IFF-bought-and-paid-for legislators voting against it.
Desperate to undo the Idaho Patient Act, Smith appeared to have concocted yet another scheme to weasel his way out of accountability.
Smith and his loyal minion David Lyon (a former employee and longtime political ally in his IFF network) found themselves entangled a legal maneuver that smelled fishy from the start.
Lyon, a member of the Idaho III% militia and a former campaign manager for Rep. Chad Christensen, received medical services from Ridgeline Medical and never paid for them. Smith’s firm then sued Lyon on behalf of Ridgeline Medical to collect on the medical debt the moment the law allowed. But here’s where it gets weird:
Lyon, of Idaho Falls, miraculously managed to hire a Boise-based attorney, Edward Dindinger, to countersue Ridgeline Medical—using a lawyer with direct political and legal ties to Smith. Dindinger previously worked with Smith on Christensen’s failed defamation lawsuit against me and also defended disgraced former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger during his ethics hearing. (Who could forget Dindinger’s embarrassing performance during that hearing, which resulted in von Ehlinger’s rape victim being doxed and humiliated by IFF’s political machine?) Think of Dindinger as the Temu.com version of Smith, only dumber and meaner.
If that weren’t sketchy enough, Smith’s favorite medical billing company admitted to never sending Lyon the bill, setting up the perfect legal excuse to challenge the Idaho Patient Act in court. The owner of the medical billing company, Katie Davenport, had previously shed crocodile tears in defense of Smith during the Idaho Patient Act hearings—looking like yet another collaborator in Smith’s elaborate schemes.
The case went as planned—at first. The judge initially ruled the Idaho Patient Act unconstitutional. But then the truth started leaking out. Once the judge learned about the suspicious connections between the parties involved, he reversed his ruling—handing Smith yet another embarrassing courtroom defeat.
Why Is Bryan Smith So Desperate?
Now, let’s be clear—Smith probably isn’t broke. But after so many public legal disasters, he apears to be desperate to claw back money wherever he can. Hence his latest pathetic attempt to bill the chairman of the Bingham County Republican Central Committee $82,000 in attorneys' fees—for a case that the Idaho GOP insists was done pro bono. (Reminder: "pro bono" means free. Zero dollars. Not "pro bono... but actually give me 82 grand.")
Maybe all these failed schemes are finally catching up with him. Maybe people are finally starting to see through political shenanigans and gaslighting. Or maybe—and hear me out here—he's just a bad lawyer. For someone who graduated from a law school ranked 159 out of 196 in the US, it’s quite possible he’s not the brightest bulb shining as the beacon of conservatism in Idaho.
About the Author
Gregory Graf is the creator of Political Potatoes and a lifelong conservative Republican. His articles often criticize the hypocrisy committed by far-right grifters who’ve taken control of the GOP. Graf is the CEO of Snake River Strategies, a strategic communications and political consulting firm based in Eagle, Idaho. You can follow Graf’s work on X, Threads, or Facebook.
Disclaimer
The following is intended to convey an opinion on newsworthy events of public concern regarding public figures and/or public officials in exercising their official duties. No implications or inferences—beyond those explicitly stated in the preceding— are intended to be conveyed or endorsed by the Author. Wherever available, hyperlinks have been provided to allow readers to directly access any underlying assertions of fact upon which this opinion is based.
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Well done, Greg.
Show some. courage, blindly loyal republicans. vote democratic.