BRADENTON – The Manatee County Commission voted at Tuesday’s meeting to approve a request by the Manatee County Attorney’s Office to use taxpayer funds for the purpose of retaining outside legal counsel to defend attorney’s Rob Eschenfelder and Mickey Palmer in a lawsuit filed by County Commissioner Robin DiSabatino.
Ironically, the lawsuit involves the board’s decision not to reimburse DiSabatino her legal fees for a suit brought against both her and the county that alleged she had not been forthcoming in a public records lawsuit. The allegations were not proven, and the case was settled without the commissioner admitting wrongdoing.
During the course of that case, the county inexplicably turned over a copy of the commissioner’s personal hard drive to the citizen who’d filed the suit. It did so while it was no longer representing the commissioner in the case and without noticing her or her outside counsel. The copy of her hard drive was not redacted and contained troves of personal information, including medical and financial records.
The vote to retain outside counsel passed 5-1 with Commissioner Charles Smith dissenting and Commissioner Disabatino absent.
Related:
But What About the Hard Drive???
Comments
No comments on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.