A Torrance police officer who was fired in 1998 and filed a long-running series of legal actions in an attempt to win his job back has apparently exhausted his options.

The final legal tab for Torrance taxpayers was nearly $570,000, believed to be the largest amount ever spent by the city to defend itself against a former police officer.

In a densely worded tentative ruling issued last week that recounted the intricacies of the complex case, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant said John Brumbaugh had no further legal avenues to pursue in a petition first filed in 2008.

“This case is over, and no issues remain to be determined, Brumbaugh’s petition is denied,” the five-page ruling concluded.

City officials breathed a huge sigh of relief not only at the ruling, but at the tersely worded, definitive nature of the conclusion.

Indeed, while the city’s outside legal counsel handling the case said Brumbaugh’s attorney indicated at the hearing that he may file a notice of reconsideration, that idea was not well received by the court, City Attorney John Fellows said.

In this matter, Brumbaugh had sought to prove that a court-ordered hearing before the City Council in 2008 to discuss his reinstatement had improperly denied him due process.

“The court said it’s over,” Fellows said. “He was trying to argue that … the hearing was inadequate and the court said no for a number of reasons that are very complicated.”

Brumbaugh’s attorney, Michael Morguess, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

A former U.S. Marine Corps sniper, Brumbaugh was fired in the wake of criminal convictions, including a felony, associated with a misdemeanor spousal assault charge.

After 10 unsuccessful appeals, the convictions were finally overturned on a technicality, but the city did not rehire him. A report referred to in the ruling and prepared for the City Council hearing sheds some light on why.

“The 500-page report prepared by the Police Department summarized the domestic violence issues and anger-control problems of Brumbaugh, and his lack of cooperation in the investigation and medical evaluation,” the ruling reads in part.

But along the way, Brumbaugh’s single-minded persistence in clearing his name and resuming his employment as a police officer in Torrance became almost the stuff of legend.

“John is one of the most persistent people I’ve ever met in my life,” his then defense attorney, Winston McKesson, told the Daily Breeze in 2002. “He’ll call you every day and every night.”

Eventually, Brumbaugh was represented by Morguess, who worked for the Upland law firm of Lackie, Dammeier, McGill & Ethir, which developed a reputation among city officials for its aggressive legal style.

The firm, which specialized in representing law enforcement personnel and also counted among its clients police unions like the Torrance Police Officers Association, collapsed in September while accusations of fraudulent billing practices swirled. Morguess now has his own practice, Fellows said.

And the cost to taxpayers steadily rose as the legal battles dragged on.

By December 2011, the bill had escalated to almost $440,000, as recounted in a Daily Breeze article.

Fellows said the likely final cost of $568,550,05 as of Oct. 31 is believed to be the most the city has been forced to spend defending itself against a former police officer.

It may not be for long, however.

The city has spent $482,250.95 defending itself against legal actions brought by former Officer Rehan Nazir, who was fired in the wake of a 2007 allegation by the District Attorney’s Office that he suppressed evidence in the arrest of an alleged drug dealer.

Morguess also represents Nazir, Fellows said.

Mayor Frank Scotto said that in such cases the city has little option but to mount a lengthy and costly legal defense.

“Municipalities have to take a stand,” he said. “It’s a terrible thing that we’ve got to spend that type of money to win a lawsuit.

“The taxpayers could have lost a lot more if we had lost, so that’s why we’ve got to do this. We have no choice.”