They escaped to Idaho. But Ada snafu told harasser where they were, lawsuit says
An Idaho family has sued Ada County alleging that their harasser was given private information, including their address, according to a lawsuit filed Dec. 17 in U.S. District Court.
Kristiana and John Feuerbacher moved to Idaho in 2024 with their child, after allegedly experiencing stalking and harassment in Florida, according to the lawsuit, and they wanted to “rebuild their lives in anonymity and security.” In Idaho, the couple went to court seeking a protection order, the lawsuit said, and a judge ordered a temporary protection order be served to the alleged stalker.
But the Feuerbachers say that Ada County staff incorrectly sent the sealed protection order, with their unredacted address and other personal information, to a private process server. The server gave either their alleged harasser or the person’s partner the documents with all of those details, the lawsuit said, in a “stunning and unlawful disclosure.”
Instead, the lawsuit argued, law enforcement in the area where the harasser lived should have served the papers.
Ada County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lauren Montague declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
“The sense of safety and security they had worked tirelessly to rebuild after fleeing Florida was shattered within hours of learning that the sealed order had been served directly on the husband of the restrained party,” the lawsuit said.
John Feuerbacher is a military veteran with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and their son experiences anxiety, the lawsuit says, and their mental conditions worsened after the information lapse. Their home was spray-painted with a threatening message and their phone numbers were leaked to scammers after the release of the information, the lawsuit said.
Ada County also misrepresented what happened, the lawsuit alleged. County employees indicated to the Feuerbachers that the sheriff where the harasser lived had served the order and also had refused to serve the order, the lawsuit said. However, the family says in its court filing it has evidence that the sheriff’s office wasn’t contacted and the order was served by the private party.
Idaho code and county policy say that police have to serve protection orders unless the court says otherwise, the lawsuit said. Ada County uses the same methods in other cases, the lawsuit said, which could place “additional families at risk.”
The family is already working on relocating, the lawsuit said. The couple asserted counts including negligence and fraud. They are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
“Taylor Law Offices, on behalf of our clients, want accountability for the breach of their personal, protected information and meaningful reforms so that no one else suffers the same violations,” said Kira Van De Moere, chief operating officer. “This case is about protecting privacy, ensuring safety, and preventing similar violations from occurring in the future.”
This story was originally published December 27, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
