Councilor Threatens Suit Against Constituent
| Updated: 3/02/2009 10:16 pm |
Published: 3/02/2009 9:20 pm
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A city lawmaker, recently under fire, is in the spotlight again. This time it’s about a lawsuit he threatened to bring against a citizen who spoke out against him. But the defendant says she’s the one who is being bullied. FOX 23’s Douglas Clark has the story. City Councilor Eric Gomez threatened to sue the leader of political watchdog group Who Owns Tulsa for what he calls defamatory remarks. But members of Who Owns Tulsa say they’re protected under the first amendment, and say they won't bow to what they call strong-arm tactics meant to silence their voice. It started with emails from Who Owns Tulsa leader Julie Hall, criticizing Councilor Eric Gomez's handling of a development project. Then in October, Hall got a letter from Gomez’s lawyer, threatening to sue her for libel and defamation of character. “It was very angering to me that I would be threatened that way,” says Hall. The letter calls Hall’s email campaign "reckless and malicious." Gomez tells FOX 23 she knowingly made false statements. But in a written response, Hall’s lawyer says none of her statements “could even remotely be considered false and defamatory.” “I would never knowingly make a false statement,” says Hall. “Absolutely not.” This is the second time recently that city councilors discussed legal action against a constituent. After dismissing an ethics complaint against Eric Gomez and Bill Martinson, Councilor John Eagleton said the man who wrote the complaint opened himself up to legal action as well. Hall calls the continued threat of lawsuits nothing more than a tactic of intimidation. “I can’t see any other reason, any other intent behind the threat of the lawsuit, other than to try to silence me and silence my opposition to Councilor Gomez and what I perceived to be his failure to represent his constituents,” says Hall. Councilor Bill Christiansen supports Hall and says public criticism is part of the job as an elected official. “I think criticizing the job you’re doing is the right every citizen has,” says Christiansen. “I think it would be a shame if we tried to muffle or muzzle citizens in the city of Tulsa from stating what they really think.” Right now, Gomez says the lawsuit is not moving forward. But Hall says if it does, she will attack it as frivolous. If you would like to speak with or email your city councilor, you can call the council office at: 596-1990. You can also visit: http://www.tulsacouncil.org/home.php.
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