By Cindy Barks |The Daily Courier
Now well into its second year of litigation, the lawsuit that pits former Yavapai Humane Society employee KayAnne Riley against the City of Prescott continues to generate court filings and city expenses.
The Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) website indicates that 232 separate actions have been filed in the Riley v. City of Prescott case in U.S. District Court.
From August 2011 through this past Tuesday, the docket for the case has been continuously active, starting with Riley’s initial complaint, and continuing with dozens of motions, responses, affidavits, subpoenas, court stipulations, orders, and notices of deposition.
The case was a topic of closed-door discussion by the Prescott City Council on Tuesday. Afterward, both City Manager Craig McConnell and City Attorney Jon Paladini declined to comment on the status of the case.
McConnell said the executive session was an opportunity for Paladini, who started in the city attorney position in late January, to discuss ongoing lawsuits with the council members, and to offer updates. The agenda included three other city lawsuits as well.
To date, records show that the city has paid $94,478 in attorney fees to the outside law firm handling the Riley case.
For much of the case, contract attorney James Jellison has represented the city in court, while attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Phoenix law firm Martin & Bonnett have represented Riley.
At issue in the case is whether the city and Prescott Mayor Marlin Kuykendall violated Riley’s constitutional right to free speech by interfering in her employment with the Humane Society.
If you’d like to discuss employment or health care law, contact David Weissman, director of the Rose Law Group Employment Law and Managed Health Care Law Practice, dweissman@roselawgroup.com
