A district court docket decide has awarded greater than $6 million mixed to four whistleblowers of their lawsuit in opposition to Texas Lawyer Basic Ken Paxton who have been fired shortly after they reported him to the FBI.
“By a preponderance of the proof,” Travis County Choose Catherine Mauzy says in her judgment, the plaintiffs proved legal responsibility, damages and legal professional’s charges of their grievance in opposition to the legal professional common’s workplace.
“As a result of the Workplace of the Lawyer Basic violated the Texas Whistleblower Act by firing and in any other case retaliating in opposition to the plaintiff for in good religion reporting violations of legislation by Ken Paxton and OAG, the court docket hereby renders judgment for plaintiffs,” Mauzy states.
The court docket discovered that the 4 Paxton aides were fired in retaliation for reporting allegations that he was utilizing his workplace to simply accept bribes from an Austin actual property developer who employed a lady with whom he was having an extramarital affair. Paxton has denied accepting bribes or misusing his workplace to assist Nate Paul, the actual property developer.
The judgment additionally acknowledged that the staff made their stories to legislation enforcement “in good religion” and that Paxton’s workplace didn’t dispute any claims or damages within the lawsuit.
“It ought to shock all Texans that their chief legislation enforcement officer, Ken Paxton, admitted to violating the legislation, however that’s precisely what occurred on this case,” mentioned Tom Nesbitt, an legal professional for Blake Brickman, and TJ Turner, an legal professional for David Maxwell, in a joint assertion.
In an announcement to the media, Paxton referred to as the ruling “ridiculous” and “not based mostly on the info or the legislation.” He additionally mentioned that his workplace intends to attraction the ruling.
Paxton was on the heart of a federal investigation after eight workers reported his workplace to the FBI in 2020 for bribery allegations. He agreed to settle the lawsuit for $3.3 million that may be paid by the Legislature. Nevertheless, the Home rejected his request and carried out its personal investigation and impeached Paxton in 2023. He was later acquitted in the Senate.
In November, the Texas Supreme Court docket overturned a lower-court ruling that Paxton testify within the lawsuit.
The U.S. Justice Division decided not to pursue its investigation into Paxton within the last weeks of the Biden administration, in keeping with two folks acquainted with the matter who spoke to The Related Press on the situation of anonymity to debate inner deliberations.
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Related Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker contributed to this report from Washington.
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Nadia Lathan is a corps member for The Related Press/Report for America Statehouse Information Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit nationwide service program that locations journalists in native newsrooms to report on undercovered points.
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