Ex-employees of Texas AG not done with lawsuit against Paxton
AUSTIN (CBSNewsTexas.com) - An old challenge for Ken Paxton isn't going away.
Ex-employees of the attorney general confirmed they're not done with their lawsuit against their former boss. They made a move Monday with the hope of seeing Paxton testify in a real court.
Texas' Attorney General survived impeachment without testifying or even attending his trial.
But employees who first reported him to the FBI said on Monday they'll keep trying to get their former boss on a witness stand.
"In our suit, he will have to testify or he will have to plead the fifth in open court," said James Blake Brickman, a former AG employee.
The four whistleblowers filed a motion with the state supreme court Monday, to allow their wrongful termination lawsuit against Paxton to continue.
The court put it on hold in February, when it appeared there was a $3.3 million settlement agreement, but the legislature never agreed to pay it.
"If the legislature chooses to fund it, that's great," said Mark Penley, a former AG employee. "If they choose not to fund it we're asking the Supreme Court to rule and let it go back to the district court."
A trial in a regular courtroom would be free of the political pressures they said "thwarted" the impeachment trial.
Not only could Paxton be asked to testify, but also his wife Senator Angela Paxton, girlfriend Laura Olson, and real estate investor Nate Paul.
"We will fight for justice in this case as long as it takes."
The former employers also publicly acknowledged House members who moved forward with impeachment, and senators who voted for it, thanking them for not wilting under political pressure.
