Texas AG Ken Paxton's former aides awarded $6.6m judgement in whistleblower case
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ken Paxton's federal investigation dropped
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s current legal troubles may be over. The department of justice dropped it's abuse of power investigation against Paxton.
AUSTIN - A Travis County judge has ordered Attorney General Ken Paxton to pay four whistleblowers $6.6 million.
Paxton Whistleblower Lawsuit
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attends the executive order signing ceremony to reduce the size and scope of the Education Department in the East Room of the White House on March 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. The order inst
What we know:
Four of Paxton's former Attorney General's Office employees, Blake Brickman, David Maxwell, Mark Penley and Ryan Vassar, sued Paxton, saying he retaliated against them after they reported claims that he abused his office.
On Oct. 1, 2020, the whistleblowers notified Paxton and the Office of the Attorney General that they had gone to the FBI, accusing Paxton of using his office to help political donor and Austin real estate developer Nate Paul.
All four whistleblowers were fired by mid-November.
Judge Catherine A. Mauzy found that Paxton violated the Texas Whistleblower Act and ordered that Paxton must pay for compensation for lost wages, emotional pain, interest and legal fees to each of the whistleblowers.
In 2024, Paxton filed a motion to say that he was no longer contesting the lawsuit against him.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ken Paxton whistleblowers vow to continue legal fight
Four whistleblowers who were fired after reporting Attorney General Ken Paxton to the FBI vowed Monday to continue their legal fight with their former boss, promising to expose his alleged wrongdoing by forcing him and others to publicly testify.
Some of those claims brought forward by the whistleblowers were central to the impeachment of Paxton. The whistleblowers testified against Paxton during the political trial. The attorney general was later acquitted by the Texas Senate.
The federal probe into Paxton that came from the was ended in the final weeks of the Biden Administration, according to the Associated Press.
What's next:
Paxton is likely to appeal the ruling.
If the ruling is upheld, the Texas Legislature would have to approve the funding to pay the judgement.
What they're saying:
"It should shock all Texans that their chief law enforcement officer, Ken Paxton, admitted to violating the law, but that is exactly what happened in this case," wrote Tom Nesbitt, attorney for Blake Brickman and TJ Turner, attorney for David Maxwell. "Now the Texas Legislature needs to do the honorable thing and fund the judgment so these brave public servants can be compensated for the lost pay and damages they suffered when Paxton illegally terminated their employment."
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Travis County court documents, Tom Nesbitt, attorney for Blake Brickman and TJ Turner, attorney for David Maxwell and past FOX coverage.