Texas AG Ken Paxton Reaches $3.3 Million Settlement With Ex-Employees in Exposure Case

DALLAS — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has agreed to apologize and settle a $3.3 million whistleblower lawsuit with four former employees, according to a mediated settlement agreement filed in the Texas Supreme Court today.

The lawsuit against Paxton accused him of firing former employees after they allege that Paxton committed criminal acts, according to past court documents.

The settlement, which will be paid for in public dollars, states that “Attorney General Ken Paxton acknowledges that the plaintiffs acted on what they believed was the right thing to do and apologizes for calling them ‘fraudulent employees.’ He also agreed. remove the statement from the AG website that called them “fraudulent employees”.

Paxton released a statement on October 5, 2020, in which he responded to the employees’ allegations and stated that he had decided to hire an “outside independent prosecutor” to investigate them.

“Despite the efforts of the scammers and their false accusations, I will continue to seek justice in Texas and will not resign,” Paxton said in a 2020 statement.

The Texas legislature will have to approve the settlement, which will be paid for in state dollars.

The deadline for reaching a settlement was Thursday.

The maximum amount each former employee can receive in non-economic damages is $250,000. In addition, they may also receive reasonable arrears and attorney’s fees.

The agreement does not specify how much each employee will receive.

In November 2020, former top deputies — Mark Penley, David Maxwell, Ryan Vassar, and Blake Brickman — filed a whistleblowing suit against him, alleging that Paxton, the state’s top law enforcement officer, systematically used his office’s powers for profit. friend and campaign sponsor, and then retaliated against them and four other employees when they reported it to law enforcement.

Whistleblowers claimed that Paxton and the donor met regularly in 2020. The Texas Tribune reported that whistleblowers claimed that Paxton, who is married, helped the donor because the donor gave a job to Paxton’s alleged girlfriend.

All eight employees were either fired or fired from Paxton’s office.

Paxton’s position was that, as an elected official, he was exempt from the Texas Whistleblower Act. He denies he fired them in retaliation and says he fired them due to personal differences.

The Third State Court of Appeals in Austin ruled against Paxton. He appealed to the Texas Supreme Court.

In late January, a joint lawsuit was filed in the Texas Supreme Court by Paxton’s attorneys and attorneys representing three former Paxton deputies. – “defer consideration” of the whistleblower’s claim “until the outcome of their ongoing settlement negotiations.”

Grant Dorfman, Paxton’s deputy first assistant attorney general, signed the agreement on behalf of the attorney general’s office.

Don Tittle, Penley’s attorney, called the settlement “a very important matter.”

“There is often a lack of accountability in government these days,” Tittle said. “With this settlement, we believe that his claims and those of other whistleblowers have been confirmed.”