McLennan County deputies get $2 million in lawsuit settlement
Last edited Wed Jul 23, 2014, 03:42 AM - Edit history (1)
Nine current and former McLennan County sheriff’s deputies will receive $2 million after a discrimination lawsuit was settled, and the county must pay almost $600,000 of that sum.
The commissioners court approved Tuesday paying $575,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought by the nine deputies against the county and Sheriff Parnell McNamara.
The rest of the settlement will be paid by the Texas Association of Counties Risk Management Pool, the county’s insurance group, which the county contributes to, along with other Texas counties.
Herbert Bristow, the attorney representing the county, said the settlement comes as a result of a compromise and not an admission of guilt. Bristow said there were more than 200 witnesses in the case, which has been ongoing for about 18 months.
The plaintiffs alleged McNamara fired or demoted them in retaliation because they supported his 2012 primary opponent, former Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Randy Plemons. They claimed their First Amendment rights were violated and were seeking damages including back pay and lost wages.
More at http://www.wacotrib.com/news/politics/deputies-get-million-in-lawsuit-settlement-almost-of-which-comes/article_45bbdf42-f18e-53b3-8de5-ff164f12a7be.html .
[font color=green]While there is always the risk of a larger judgment, it seems that for the sake of transparency a jury should decide a verdict and the amount of damages awarded. If the court award is excessive, then a reduced settlement offer could be offer on the threat of appeal.
Allowing 40% to pay for the plaintiffs attorneys, there is $1.2 million split among nine people or about $130,000 each. That is equal to 3-4 years of salary for a deputy. IMHO, it seems like a sweetheart deal for everyone except for the Texas Association of Counties and the county taxpayers. It might be time to elect some Democratic county commissioners who would be better stewards of taxpayer money in McLennan county.
ETA: Please note that Texas is also an "at will" state. The deputies had an average of about 15 years of experience which means that they would receive about 15-18 months of severance if they were dismissed from their jobs in the private sector. Some of the plaintiffs are still employed with the county so it is difficult to determine if they suffered any substantial loss of income.[/font]
