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Another Suit's Filed Against Farmers Branch

By Bill Zeeble, KERA reporter

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-673504.mp3

Dallas, TX – Bill Zeeble, KERA reporter: The ordinance is scheduled to take effect 15 days after a judge rules on the pending ordinance that would punish landlords who rent to illegal immigrants. There's no ruling yet, on the item pushed hardest by council man Tim O'hare. but a restraining order stopped enforcement. This suit was filed by the Bickel and Brewer lawfirm, on behalf of Farmers Branch resident Guillermo Ramos. It alleges the latest ordinance violates Texas open records rules, because the public never heard details before the council unanimously approved it, unchanged. That's not all, according to Bill Brewer:

Brewer: We've reason to believe Mr.O'hare and others were engaged in serial meetings. Meaning, I call you, you call Tom, Tom calls Fred and we confer that way in a deliberate effort to avoid our responsibilities under the open meeting act.131 So we can take the position that we didn't' have a meeting.

Zeeble: Farmers Branch Council man Tim O'Hare, who's also a lawyer, adamantly denies all allegations.

Tim O'hare: Any assertion we did anything wrong is preposterous. These folks have an ax to grind and want to generate publicity for themselves. And they'll stop at nothing including filing frivolous lawsuits that have no basis in fact.

Zeeble; For his part, Bill Brewer says the latest ordinance is weaker than the first, which is still tied up in court. Bill Zeeble KERA news.
Bzeeble@Kera.Org