Laura Pressley tells the Austin Monitor that she is disappointed but not discouraged by $100,000 in sanctions imposed on sheher and her attorney. The unsuccessful city council candidate added that the ruling awarding nearly $100,000 in damages to her former District 4 Council opponent–and current Council Member–Greg Casar will not end her drive to challenge the […]
Courts
Posted inCourts
Judge assesses sanctions against Pressley, lawyer
At the end of a five-and-a-half hour hearing Wednesday, visiting Judge Dan Mills announced that he would be assessing sanctions against former City Council candidate Laura Pressley and her lawyer, David Rogers, for making spurious claims in her election contest lawsuit against Council Member Greg Casar. Casar won the runoff election on Dec. 16 with […]
Posted inCourts
Hearing on sanctions against Pressley to continue
Chuck Herring, one of the attorneys for City Council Member Greg Casar, said Thursday that he will be asking for more than $150,000 in fees already expended by Casar’s legal team in defending a lawsuit brought by former District 4 Council opponent Laura Pressley. In addition, Herring said he will be asking for about $100,000 for […]
Posted inCourts, Development
New lawsuit adds to sour feelings in Swede Hill’s Patch House saga
The owners of a controversial house in East Austin’s Swede Hill neighborhood are taking their fight with the city to a Travis County district court. Last week, lawyers for Blake and Toria English filed a suit against the city of Austin and Austin Energy seeking an injunction against threats to shut off power and orders […]
Posted inCourts
Judge dismisses Pressley election contest
Visiting Judge Dan Mills dismissed former City Council candidate Laura Pressley’s election contest lawsuit against Council Member Greg Casar on Tuesday, citing a lack of evidence that would throw into doubt the outcome of the December runoff election for Council’s District 4 seat. Casar won the election by 1,291 votes, or 65 percent, compared to […]
Posted inCourts, Housing
Casar helps trailer park residents sue new owners
City Council Member Greg Casar has added his political support to a legal fight between a low-income mobile home community and the corporation that recently took control of the property. On Monday evening, dozens of North Lamar Community Mobile Home Park residents flanked Casar outside of their homes as he and Austin Independent School District Board […]
Posted inAustin, Courts, Monitor News & Media, Radio
Why your speeding ticket doesn’t pay for what you think it does: Audio from KUT
Travis County and the City of Austin take part in a regular fiscal dance with the State of Texas over who pays the costs of government. Over the next three days, KUT News and the Austin Monitor will look at key examples of that interaction in our series, “The Buck Starts Here.” Today, we take […]
Posted inAustin, Courts, Texas State Legislature
Why your speeding ticket doesn’t pay for what you think it does
Travis County and the City of Austin take part in a regular fiscal dance with the State of Texas over who pays the costs of government. Over the next three days, KUT News and the Austin Monitor will look at key examples of that interaction in our series, “The Buck Starts Here.” Today, we take […]
Posted inCourts, Travis County
Activist opposes Travis courthouse bond proposal
A prominent local advocate for low taxes and fiscal responsibility has declared his opposition to Travis County’s proposed $292 million Civil and Family Courthouse bond. Retired accountant Bill Oakey announced Thursday that he has resigned from the Community Focus Committee, an advisory group tasked with helping the county and its consultant, URS Corporation, develop plans […]
Posted inCourts, Travis County
Commissioners nearly boot plans for DA’s office
Travis County Commissioners came dangerously close Tuesday to scrapping plans to build a new office tower for the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. The clash between two county agencies over cost almost ended the project when Commissioner Gerald Daugherty seconded a motion by Commissioner Brigid Shea to pull the plug on the plan altogether. After […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions, Courts, Development, Travis County
County pitches courthouse plan to Downtown group
Travis County officials presented plans for a proposed $291.6 million Civil and Family Courthouse to Austin’s Downtown Commission last week in an early bid to shore up city support before taking the plan to voters ahead of November’s bond election. If approved, it could mean the average county taxpayer could see an extra $41 on […]
Posted inCourts, Elections
Aleshire files criminal complaint against Zimmerman
District 6 City Council Member Don Zimmerman may be headed back to court, but this time as a defendant in a criminal prosecution. On Thursday, AleshireLAW PC attorney Bill Aleshire filed a criminal complaint against Zimmerman with the Travis County District Attorney and the Texas Ethics Commission. Aleshire’s complaint centers on Zimmerman using $2,000 in […]