HUTTO – The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas Austin Division has filed a judgment affirming the outcome of the Odis Jones lawsuit against the city of Hutto.
The filing was entered March 21.
The judgment entry is both an ending and a beginning.
It marks the case as closed, and terminates any pending motions. However, it is just the start for the appeals process.
“Now that the entry is made, the city has 26 days to formally ask the judge to set aside the jury verdict, based on the lack of evidence and other serious concerns.
Once the city has filed this motion as planned, Jones’ page 1
attorney can respond, and then the city can respond once more. Not until that point would the case be ready for the judge to decide, which could take months since the court docket is already very full,” according to City Spokesperson Allison Strupeck.
A jury awarded Jones $12.5 million in a racial discrimination suit against the city for breach of contract and damages March 2. There has been no indication from the court regarding when that amount is due to be paid.
The lawsuit originally included Mayor Mike Snyder and former City Councilman Tanner Rose. The claims against Snyder and Rose were dropped, and the subsequent trial named the city of Hutto as the only defendant.
Jones played a part in the Cottonwood Properties/Perfect Game development proposition, which failed and left the city with liens and lawsuits regarding disposition of the property and liability for the failure. A $4 million lawsuit filed against the city by the developer Legacy was recently decided in Hutto’s favor.
Earlier this month, the city came closer to closing the book on this beleaguered chapter by paying $15 million to settle the liens and regain ownership of the land.
