Council approves help on Morales litigation
The Milwaukee City Attorney’s Office will have help from an outside law firm to represent the city in its ongoing legal entanglements with ousted Police Chief Alfonso Morales, under a measure approved by the Common Council Tuesday.
The resolution allows the City Attorney’s Office to hire Milwaukeebased Cade Law Group LLC at a rate of $350 per hour for the services of attorney Nate Cade and $325 per hour for the services of attorney Carlos Pastrana.
The agreement ends Dec. 31 and includes a cap of $40,000 for the law firm’s services, unless otherwise agreed to in writing.
Ald. Michael Murphy voted against the resolution.
“After speaking to a number of people and concluding that the City Attorney’s Office has already admitted guilt in terms of the violation by the Fire and Police Commission, reaching a settlement shouldn’t be costing another $40,000 in outside legal staff,” Murphy told the Journal Sentinel after the meeting.
City Attorney Tearman Spencer acknowledged in a court filing that Morales was denied due process in August, when the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission unanimously voted to demote him to captain.
The commission’s decision prompted Morales to retire, sue and request a judicial review of the decision.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Christopher Foley called the commission’s process “fundamentally flawed” when he reversed the commission’s decision in December.
Given Foley’s decision, the legislation states that the city “anticipates future claims being brought” by Morales against the city.
The commission and City Attorney’s Office each blamed each other for the faulty process leading up to Morales’ ousting.
Cade previously told the council that reasons for hiring him included the Fire and Police Commission’s “belief that they have a conflict in regards to representation.”
The powerful civilian oversight commission has the authority to hire and fire police and fire chiefs, independently investigate and monitor citizen complaints, discipline employees and more.
In February, the council waived conflicts of interest Cade Law Group has in relation to representing the city, given three lawsuits it has against the city. Mayor Tom Barrett signed the legislation.
The council also unanimously supported:
A measure stating the city’s support for proposed passenger rail service improvements between the Twin Cities and Chicago, via Milwaukee.
A measure to bring electric scooters back to Milwaukee this summer as part of a second pilot program that would run through Dec. 31.