New Texts Give Insider Litigation Peeks as Ex-Mayor of Detroit Seeks $100M
Ever wondered what was in former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s mind during the infamous text-message debacle? His oversight of a now-former city police official’s complaint of unfair treatment was, of course, handled in a manner that eventually put the mayor himself in jail for a short time.
Some 6,000 newly released text messages between the mayor and his coterie paint a remarkably detailed picture, according to the Detroit Free Press. And it makes for some fascinating reading:
On May 13, 2003, Detroit Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown went public with allegations that he had been fired for refusing to back down on an investigation of friends on the mayor’s team of bodyguards, the newspaper recounts. Kilpatrick’s paging device was soon buzzing:
First to weigh in was the mayor’s mother, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick. (“YOU ARE CHOSEN,” she writes; “Thanx Mom!” he replies.) Next, as the mayor and a confidante apparently discuss whether they can gin up a possible prosecution of Brown, then Detroit legal counsel Ruth Carter, who is now a Detroit 36th District Court judge, offers her two cents’ worth: “Slander, no question!” she writes, referring to statements by the police officer.
Kilpatrick, the confidante and Carter then get into a further discussion about a behind-the-scenes recommendation made by the Wayne County prosecutor to settle with Brown, the newspaper recounts. Carter recommends against such a move: “I said NO CHANCE,” she writes, referring to an earlier conversation with the prosecutor. “That would surely look like a cover-up.”
For a blow-by-blow account of the mayor’s message melee, read the full article.
Meanwhile, the mayor’s counsel sent a demand letter seeking $100 million from SkyTel, the city’s former communications provider, the Detroit Free Press reports in another article today.
The letter contends that the company violated Kilpatrick’s constitutional and privacy rights by unlawfully releasing the text messages to officials. The former mayor is represented in the claim by attorney Willie Gary, of Florida, and attorney James Thomas, of Detroit.
No response from SkyTel is included in the article.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Detroit Mayor Jailed, Will Lose Law License—and Is Still Under Investigation”
ABAJournal.com: “Sex, Lies and Text Messages: Mich. Judge Makes Legal Memo Public”
Updated at 9:30 p.m. to include information about $100 million demand.
