HEALTH CARE:

HEALTH CARE:
Bill Details

°

Homepage / Detroit Local News
Text Size

Lawyers Banter Over Council Forfeiture Lawsuit Name

POSTED: Monday, July 21, 2008
UPDATED: 7:00 pm EDT July 21, 2008

Attorney Godfrey Dillard is suing the Detroit City Council in efforts to block the Council from holding a forfeiture hearing against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, but the case does not list Kilpatrick as a plaintiff. Instead it lists the city of Detroit.

City Council attorney Bill Goodman said he believes that the omission of Kilpatrick's name hides who is really behind the lawsuit.

"It's really the mayor behind the scenes -- pulling the strings and saying the council's actions are inappropriate," he said.

Goodman said that by not putting Kilpatrick's name down as the plaintiff, he wouldn't be bound by a judge's decision.

Dillard said the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Detroit citizens and he is litigating to uphold the council's charter.

City Council will be holding forfeiture hearings on August 18. Council accuses Kilpatrick of not disclosing a confidentiality agreement linked to an $8.4 million whistle-blowers' settlement.

Judge Robert Ziolkowski will rule on the motion Wednesday. However, he will not decide until next month on the bigger issue -- does the council have the legal authority to remove Kilpatrick, or is the charter language not clear enough to rule on that distinction?

Kilpatrick faces a Sept. 22 preliminary examination in district court on perjury and other charges stemming from testimony he gave at the whistle-blowers' trial.

Text Size

Hot Topics

America's Thanksgiving Parade
Friday Football Frenzy - High School Football Highlights
Links We Like
Sponsored Content
Don’t believe everything people tell you about home improvement. Check out the top 4 myths and stop throwing away your money. More

If you have aspirations of becoming a millionaire, check out these five habits that may be worth emulating. More

Eating breakfast is good for you, but eating a healthy breakfast is even better. Get the scoop on which breakfast foods are the most nutritious. More

You’ve heard of certain foods that can help you prevent cancer and even halt the spread of the disease. Find out if these anti-cancer foods really work. More

Hot Shots!

Fantastics Fall Colors
Share your Hot Shots of fantastic fall colors from Michigan's one of a kind tree lines to pumpkin patches!
More
Slideshow: Fall Colors

High School Football Highlights
Send us your Hot Shot photos of football action. Once your Hot Shot gets posted, show it off to all of your friends!
More

Slideshow: Football Frenzy Hot Shots

Sponsored Links

On Local 4

Days Of Our Lives
NBC’s daytime drama “Days of our Lives” will hold its first ever talent and fan search in Detroit at the MGM Grand on Friday, Nov.13 and Saturday, Nov. 14. More

www.DaysOfOurLives.com

He's a hometown boy made good but with some dark secrets. The Defenders reveal more on Dan Gilbert's hidden deal with Kwame Kilpatrick and an arrest he might not want you to know about.

Morning Home Delivery From Click On Detroit and Local 4 News

Most Popular

Question Of The Day

How do you feel about President Barack Obama's handling of health care reform?