Mayor Dwaine Caraway sues city of Dallas

Dallas City Attorney says city is ready to release Caraway records unless a court orders otherwise
Tue., Mar. 8, 2011
At this morning's hearing over Mayor Dwaine Caraway's attempt to block release of police records, City Attorney Tom Perkins (right) made clear the city is ready to release them unless a court orders otherwise.
"The city does not intend to file a lawsuit against the attorney general to stop the disclosure of the documents," Perkins said. "And we think we have an obligation to disclose, promptly and without delay."
Asking about potential awkwardness in the mayor suing the city, Caraway's attorney, Michael Payma, said it's not a lawsuit in the sense most people think about them.
"We're not asking for any damages or making any claims of wrongdoing," Payma said. "This is to maintain the status quo until the court has had a chance to actually hear the evidence."
Caraway's lawsuit to permanently block release of the records has been filed in Travis County against the attorney general alone.
Payma emphasized his client is acting as a private citizen, not as the mayor of Dallas.
"Dwaine Caraway is not in this suit as the mayor, he's just a private citizen just like you and I," Payma said to reporters afterward.
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Mayor Dwaine Caraway sues city of Dallas to keep police records private
Tue., Mar. 8, 2011
UPDATE: Associate Judge Teresa Guerra Snelson has granted Caraway a two-week temporary restraining order.
Original item: Just a few days into office, Dallas Mayor Dwaine Caraway has filed suit in Dallas County District Court against the city he represents.
Caraway, who has already filed suit in Austin over the same issue, wants to prevent the city of Dallas from releasing records of a police visit to his home.
Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is also named in the suit, ruled the records are public and must be released.
Caraway is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the records release, saying providing them to the public will do irreparable harm.
Police went to Caraway's home in early January over a domestic incident between him and his wife, State Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway.
Despite a police report that stated the two were involved in a domestic spat, Caraway told The Dallas Morning News that the incident revolved around a fight between his two friends, Arthur and Archie.
Caraway corrected that false version ten days after the incident at a City Council meeting.
Continue reading at :cityhallblog.dallasnews.com