Post by: Desertdog on October 27, 2007, 12:27:43 PM
New Orleans mayor issues warning over white office worker judgement
Associated Press
OneNewsNow.com
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/10/new_orleans_mayor_issues_warni.php
NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin says the state could take over the New Orleans district attorney's office as early as Monday as the agency faces a multimillion-dollar civil judgment.
A federal judge ruled this past week that district attorney office assets could be seized to pay off a $3.65 million judgment pending from a 2005 case in which dozens of white office workers successfully sued District Attorney Eddie Jordan for replacing them with black workers.
Jordan is not personally responsible for the payment.
And in an opinion released Friday, City Attorney Penya Moses-Fields concluded after reviewing state and federal laws that "the city of New Orleans has never been required to fund any judgments rendered against the Orleans Parish District attorney or any other state official."
Kris Wartelle, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Charles Foti, said Saturday she did not know whether the office is defined as a state or city agency.
Council President Arnie Fielkow said the DA's office gets money from city, state and federal sources.
Members of the city council noted that the judgment isn't against the city itself and resources are spread thin as New Orleans struggles to recover from Hurricane Katrina.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs said this past week that they are ready to seize assets from the district attorney's office if the judgment isn't paid. If payroll accounts are seized, aides to Jordan said prosecutors would quit and the office would shut down.
Nagin told the council on Friday that Foti is ready to step in and do "whatever it takes" to ensure the office doesn't shut down.
Wartelle said Saturday that she couldn't comment on what Foti may have told Nagin. She said the attorney general's office is monitoring the situation, has been in contact with the mayor and council members and "when and if action is necessary, whatever the appropriate action is, we would take it. If and when it's necessary."
Nagin said he told Jordan the city wouldn't offer him aid but said he'd be willing to appropriate funds to give key Jordan staffers "comfort that they're going to continue to get a paycheck."
Nagin was noncommittal about whether Jordan could stay on as district attorney if Foti intervened, though he stopped short of calling for his resignation.
"At that point in time, the attorney general is going to have a lot to say about whether he stays or doesn't," said Nagin, adding that he wants to see a restructuring of the office and "some higher levels of accountability."
A city council panel passed a resolution this week that, among other things, suggested Jordan look for alternate means of paying the judgment, including a loan. Both the council and Nagin promised to stand against paying the judgment, while urging Jordan to pursue alternatives.
Post by: Firethorn on October 27, 2007, 12:40:04 PM
I think this ties into my belief that government offices shouldn't be held financially responsible for lawsuits - the individuals in the positions should be, as are those who appoint them.
Of course, I think this should be true for corporations or businesses - you can almost always track down the individual who gave the order.
In a case where it gets this bad, fire everybody then reconstitute the office.
This reminds me of the one where the police department somewhere went on an illegal strike - They ended up calling it off early because the crime rate dropped.
Post by: Perd Hapley on October 27, 2007, 12:48:45 PM
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on October 27, 2007, 04:48:11 PM
Hmmm...
I think this ties into my belief that government offices shouldn't be held financially responsible for lawsuits - the individuals in the positions should be, as are those who appoint them.
Of course, I think this should be true for corporations or businesses - you can almost always track down the individual who gave the order.
In a case where it gets this bad, fire everybody then reconstitute the office.
This reminds me of the one where the police department somewhere went on an illegal strike - They ended up calling it off early because the crime rate dropped.
I think this ties into my belief that government offices shouldn't be held financially responsible for lawsuits - the individuals in the positions should be, as are those who appoint them.
Of course, I think this should be true for corporations or businesses - you can almost always track down the individual who gave the order.
In a case where it gets this bad, fire everybody then reconstitute the office.
This reminds me of the one where the police department somewhere went on an illegal strike - They ended up calling it off early because the crime rate dropped.
the only police strike i remember the whole force got fired
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Police_Strike
Post by: Paddy on October 27, 2007, 07:36:12 PM
Post by: Tallpine on October 28, 2007, 07:14:44 AM
Quote
If payroll accounts are seized, aides to Jordan said prosecutors would quit and the office would shut down.
Sounds like a great plan to me
Now, somebody sue the mayor.
Post by: El Tejon on October 28, 2007, 10:55:55 AM
Post by: Art Eatman on October 29, 2007, 10:18:02 AM
Old Farts all over town who didn't have to go off to work were sitting on front porches, shotguns to hand.
A reporter, investigating why burglaries had notably declined toward zero, had a cop set up an interview with a professional burglar. The burglar's comment: "The cops will only arrest you. Those folks will kill you!"
Unfortunately, as we all know, elected officials are Very Slow Learners.
Art
Post by: BrokenPaw on October 29, 2007, 10:45:50 AM
Quote from: Desertdog
Although terer is no mention in the story, for some strange reason I have a feeling that DA Jordan is a Democrat and is an African American.
From Wikipedia, all disclaimers apply:
Quote
Eddie Jack Jordan, Jr., (born 1952) is the sitting Democratic district attorney for Orleans Parish, Louisiana, the first African American to hold the elected position.
It's not like it was a real stretch to figure him for a Democrat, DD...
-BP
Post by: El Tejon on October 30, 2007, 09:39:21 AM
(I know this as it was in Mel Tappan's book which my dad got me at age 12).
Post by: Ned Hamford on October 30, 2007, 12:13:07 PM
I think it's way past time to start exterminating lawyers for the vermin they are.
If I get to be the last one to go, I'l die content with this plan.