OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced Tuesday that he dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state’s former attorney general related to the handling of federal COVID-19 relief dollars.

In August 2022, former Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor filed a lawsuit after a federal audit by the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) criticized how Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s administration handled around $31 million in Governor’s Education Emergency Relief (GEER) funds. FOX23 previously reported that the OIG audit found that funds intended to help families cover education expenses were spent on several, unrelated items, like Christmas trees, smartphones, home appliances and more.

Drummond’s office said in a statement that the attorney general has “previously expressed skepticism over the lawsuit,” which accused a Florida-based vendor, ClassWallet, of wrongdoing related to the misspent funds.

“After a thorough review of this matter, I have concluded that the lawsuit filed by the previous Attorney General is almost wholly without merit,” Drummond said Tuesday. “It is clear that a number of state actors and other individuals are ultimately responsible for millions in misspent federal relief dollars.”

He also said the dismissal of the lawsuit against ClassWallet means his office will now focus on which individuals should be held accountable for their role in how the money was spent.

“While the lawsuit has been dismissed, this matter is far from concluded,” Drummond said. “My office will continue engaging with various state and federal agencies to investigate this egregious misuse of tax dollars.”

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