Seeking to fight scandal-plagued Volkswagen alone, Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking two Texas counties to halt their lawsuits against the automaker — a move highlighting friction between Texas and local governments pursuing tens of millions of dollars in court.
The Republican made the request in letters sent Friday to top attorneys in Harris and Fort Bend counties, both of which beat Paxton to the punch in filing lawsuits over the company’s admitted use of software that allowed its vehicles to sidestep emissions limits.
“The alleged violations by VW harm Texans throughout the state, and a separate Harris County lawsuit undermines the ability to achieve a comprehensive and just statewide resolution of this matter on behalf of Texas,” Paxton wrote in a letter to Vince Ryan, the Harris County attorney. “The Office of the Attorney General requests that the county stand down on its claims and cooperate with the Office of the Attorney General in pursuing the state’s interests – which includes Harris County’s interests – on matters arising from VW’s wrongful conduct.”
Paxton used similar language in a letter to Fort Bend County Attorney Roy Cordes, Jr.
Paxton wrote that both counties failed to communicate with his office before filing their suits, and he knocked them for hiring outside legal help, saying the move “appears to be an unnecessary expense.” The Texas Tribune obtained unsigned copies of both letters.
By abandoning their lawsuits, the counties would leave millions of dollars in potential winnings on the table.
“Harris County, Texas wants a place at the table. That’s why we’re first in line and the first government in the world to sue Volkswagen,” said Terry O’Rourke, special counsel with the Harris County attorney’s office. O’Rourke had not yet seen Paxton’s letter.
“We’ll look at whatever General Paxton’s request is and evaluate it with sincerity,” he added.
In Fort Bend, Randy Morse, the assistant county attorney, said his office could not comment because it had yet to receive the letter.
[…]
Last week, the city of Dallas announced it planned to sue Volkswagen, but it reversed course on Monday, saying Paxton’s statewide suit would do the trick.
“We look forward to the state taking action in the upcoming months to require Volkswagen and Audi to bring the affected vehicles into compliance with state environmental laws and improve air quality in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and we urge the state to do so in an expeditious manner and at no cost to affected motorists,” the city said in a statement.
See here and here for the background. Personally, I don’t know that I would trust the state to look after my own interests as well as I would in a case like this. Pursuing environmental justice is not exactly one of Ken Paxton’s strong points. If I were in those County Attorneys’ shoes, my reply would be to suggest that Paxton file a brief with the judge in my case stating his position, and let the judge decide the best course of action from there. The Press and the Chron have more.
“Scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton” is how I read that first line of quote. . .
Completely about the money – the state of Texas and its scandal-plagued AG does not care about air pollution or about any fraud committed against Texas consumers.
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