An attorney has been removed from an ongoing lawsuit over the Amarillo City Council's alleged violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act.
On Wednesday, Judge Ana E. Estevez signed an order vacating a previous order allowing Michael Green to serve as co-counsel for plaintiffs Michael Fisher and Claudette Smith in a lawsuit against the Amarillo City Council for alleged violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act. The previous order allowed Green, who is licensed to practice law in California, to practice law in Texas for the case as a co-counsel with Fisher and Smith's attorneys Ryan Brown and Jeff Blackburn.
Smith says that William McKamie, who is serving as the attorney representing the City of Amarillo in the case, filed a motion on Wednesday to have the order revoked allowing Green to practice in the case. In addition, Smith said that the motion was filed on Wednesday while depositions were ongoing and that she felt stripped of her legal representation due to McKamie's actions.
"I was upset because one of our lawyers was stripped from us during the middle of the deposition," Smith said. "I felt pressured by McKamie as he told me that if I didn't continue my deposition without representation, it would be considered a refusal of the deposition."
Fisher and Smith are currently suing the City Council regarding several alleged violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act, including instances where the City Council allegedly assembled without proper notice and one instance where Mayor Ginger Nelson allegedly forced residents to stop recording a public meeting.
The Amarillo Pioneer did not reach out to the City of Amarillo for comment, as the City of Amarillo has previously stated that it does not comment on pending litigation.
We will continue to bring you updates on this case as they are available.
For more information about Fisher and Smith, visit https://www.gofundme.com/stealing-home-help-strike-them-out.
Green
Provided
McKamie
Photo by City of Amarillo