City of Atwater CA has paid $55K in legal fees due to Councilman Gary Frago's racist e-mails

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Wednesday, Oct. 07, 2009
Atwater has spent $55,000 on summer Frago fiasco -- so far
Money has been paid to lawyers as part of racist e-mails fallout during summer.
By JONAH OWEN LAMB
[e-mail]

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/1099775.html



ATWATER -- The city of Atwater paid nearly $60,000 in legal fees this past summer to deal with the fallout following the publication of a series of racist e-mails sent by Councilman Gary Frago in late 2008 and early 2009.

The city paid its law firm, Meyers Nave, $55,976 to deal with the legal implications of Frago's e-mails during the last two weeks of July and all of August, according to the law firm. In all, the firm chalked up 228 hours of legal work dealing with the aftermath of Frago's e-mails, said Jose Sanchez, an attorney with Meyers Nave.

That work included going over public information requests, meeting with the City Council and staff, and preparing for and participating in public meetings, among other things.

"This is an outrageous cost," said City Councilman Nelson Crabb, who initially requested a price tag on legal fees. "This is basically a police officer-and-a-half that we are dealing with and we are not done yet."

For some City Council members, that legal bill was a reminder of how much Frago's e-mails have cost the city.

[Mz Pip]

1. CA and its cities are

in such a financial messes and it has to deal with the stupid as well. I wish the cost could come out of this idiot's own pocket.