LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Dallas County, TX
Dallas County, TX: (Sep-17-07) Three deputy constables Jim Gilliand, Sonia Avina, and Stanley Gaines, brought a lawsuit against the county in 2001, after they lost their jobs following the 2000 elections. The county had argued that deputy constables' civil service status expired with a constable's term and that they didn't have to be rehired, but a jury found in the deputies' favor in November 2002.
In a recent development, the county agreed to end the six-year-old lawsuit by paying the three former deputy constables $550,000. Commissioners are yet to decide whether to reinstate Jim Gilliand as a deputy constable at the Precinct 5 constable office in Oak Cliff as part of the settlement. Sonia Avina chose not to get her job back because she doesn't trust the county. Stanley Gaines died in 2001, but his family will receive money from the county as part of the settlement. One of the county's witnesses, Mike Dupree, turned out to be a rogue constable. Dupree's departure in June 2007 helped with the settlement. Dupree resigned to avoid a trial to remove him from the Precinct 5 office on the grounds of official misconduct and incompetence. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of abuse of official capacity, relinquished his peace officer license and agreed never to run for public office as part of an agreement with state officials who were investigating him. [DALLAS MORNING NEWS: DEPUTY CONSTABLES]
Published on Sep-19-07
In a recent development, the county agreed to end the six-year-old lawsuit by paying the three former deputy constables $550,000. Commissioners are yet to decide whether to reinstate Jim Gilliand as a deputy constable at the Precinct 5 constable office in Oak Cliff as part of the settlement. Sonia Avina chose not to get her job back because she doesn't trust the county. Stanley Gaines died in 2001, but his family will receive money from the county as part of the settlement. One of the county's witnesses, Mike Dupree, turned out to be a rogue constable. Dupree's departure in June 2007 helped with the settlement. Dupree resigned to avoid a trial to remove him from the Precinct 5 office on the grounds of official misconduct and incompetence. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of abuse of official capacity, relinquished his peace officer license and agreed never to run for public office as part of an agreement with state officials who were investigating him. [DALLAS MORNING NEWS: DEPUTY CONSTABLES]
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