Courtesy Photograph / Texas Legal professional Normal’s Workplace
Texas Legal professional Normal Ken Paxton’s authorized woes nonetheless aren’t over.
The Texas Supreme Courtroom has sided with former high deputies of Legal professional Normal Ken Paxton and cleared the best way for his or her whistleblower lawsuit to maneuver ahead.
The all-Republican Supreme Courtroom on Friday rejected Paxton’s request to dismiss the lawsuit after the case had been on pause pending a attainable settlement with the whistleblowers. The selections got here 4 days after the whistleblowers requested the courtroom to reinstate the case — and about two weeks after Paxton was acquitted in his impeachment trial earlier than the Texas Senate.
The lawsuit will return to a Travis County trial courtroom.
“We’re wanting ahead to acquiring a trial setting and to making ready this case for trial as quickly as attainable,” the whistleblowers’ legal professionals stated in an announcement.
4 whistleblowers sued the lawyer basic’s workplace in 2020 for wrongful termination and retaliation after they reported Paxton to the FBI, alleging he abused his workplace to assist a good friend and donor, Nate Paul.
They nearly settled with the lawyer basic’s workplace for $3.3 million earlier this 12 months — till Texas Home investigators, involved about utilizing taxpayer {dollars} for the settlement, began probing the lawsuit’s claims and beneficial Paxton’s impeachment.
The collection of occasions successfully froze the case on the Texas Supreme Courtroom. However on Monday, the whistleblowers held a information convention to announce that they have been asking the excessive courtroom to leap begin their case in gentle of Paxton’s acquittal.
“The political trial is over, and it’s time for the case to return to an actual courtroom,” whistleblower Blake Brickman stated Monday.
Paxton’s workplace declined to touch upon the information convention, saying solely that its legal professionals would reply in courtroom. Nevertheless it seems they didn’t file a reply previous to Friday’s ruling.
Brickman is a plaintiff within the lawsuit with three different former Paxton deputies: Ryan Vassar, David Maxwell and Mark Penley. The 4 fired deputies testified as prosecution witnesses at Paxton’s impeachment trial.
The Supreme Courtroom supplied no clarification for its determination Friday, noting solely that Paxton’s petition for evaluate was denied with Justice Evan Younger not collaborating.
The case reached the Texas Supreme Courtroom in early 2022, after a state appeals courtroom and the trial decide rejected pretrial makes an attempt by Paxton’s company to dismiss the lawsuit.
The Texas Whistleblower Act protects state staff from retaliation by different staff for reporting potential crimes to regulation enforcement. Paxton has argued his company acted correctly as a result of it has the best to fireplace staff “at will” and since the whistleblower regulation doesn’t apply to Paxton as a result of he’s an elected official, not a “public worker.”
“Just like the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and members of this Courtroom, he’s an elected officer, chosen by the individuals of Texas to train sovereign authority on their behalf,” Paxton’s workplace stated in its petition for evaluate to the Supreme Courtroom.
Paxton’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Friday’s ruling.
This text initially appeared in The Texas Tribune.
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and interesting Texans on state politics and coverage. Be taught extra at texastribune.org.
Subscribe to SA Present newsletters.
Comply with us: Apple Information | Google Information | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Fb | Twitter| Or join our RSS Feed
