The Austin Chronicle: “Wednesday, Texas’ 3rd Court of Appeals denied Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request for a stay of a Travis County judge’s ruling ordering depositions in the ongoing whistleblower lawsuit that led to his impeachment earlier this year. The judge is seeking Paxton and his staff to appear for depositions; Paxton must now respond by Jan. 3.
The whistleblowers’ 2020 lawsuit rests on the grounds of wrongful termination, after they reported evidence of Paxton’s corruption to the FBI. Paxton and the plaintiffs had previously reached a settlement agreement of $3.3 million, but when Paxton asked the Legislature to use taxpayer dollars to fund the settlement, a House committee initiated an investigation into charges including bribery, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and felony securities fraud, which triggered an impeachment trial. That trial, though it resulted in acquittal, provided abundant evidence of his corrupt relationship with Austin real estate investor Nate Paul, who provided Paxton home renovations and employment for his longtime mistress. Paxton was acquitted on all counts, but the wrongful termination lawsuit was allowed to move forward.”