In July 2024, the University of Idaho’s $685 million bid for the University of Phoenix was still alive, but not by much.

The U of I still had almost a year to come to terms with the for-profit online university, and win over legislators who had derailed the deal earlier that year . The U of I and Phoenix had no agreement in place, though, and the State Board of Education had given Phoenix permission to listen to other offers.

And meanwhile, the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Nixon Peabody billed the U of I for work on a purchase that would never come to fruition. The firm’s “Idaho/4-3 Financing” invoice was an apparent reference to Four Three Education, the nonprofit the U of I had created to handle day-to-day Phoenix administration.

Nixon Peabody billed the U of I more than $681,0

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