According to this story in El Diario, the City of El Paso has hired attorneys to defend the City against a lawsuit filed by Daniel Villegas, whose conviction was overturned after he served 18 years for the drive-by murder of two young men in Northeast El Paso.
The story was featured on Dateline.
District Attorney Jaime Esparza says, in an El Paso Times article: “Ethically, we were unable to be a part of the ‘Dateline’ show. . . .”
I didn’t know he knew that word.
In other news, Bishop Tom Brown vowed to continue his lawsuit against the City alleging that the City illegally denied him recall elections of former Mayor John Cook and City Representatives Suzy Byrd and Steve Ortega.
In a opinion column in this Sunday’s El Paso Times, Bishop Brown maintains
I look forward to exposing the city of El Paso, including former Mayor Cook, former City Council members, the former city attorney and the former city manager for their shenanigans.
I also look forward to hearing our current city attorney, Sylvia Borunda Firth, testify under oath, since she worked for Cook during the time of the recall. We might learn something about our city attorney.
If you think this current City Council is bad, wait till this trial takes place. Perhaps this will be time to really do some housecleaning.
Could there by other lawsuits lurking in the wings? You bet.
Is this irony, or just plain old-fashioned El Paso Stupid? Why should the City need to hire more attorneys? Don’t they have any faith in their full time “City” attorney? (That’s a rhetorical question, y’all).
It’s Only (other people’s) Money.