(CBS 11 News)
DALLAS CBS 11 has learned more about a Dallas Justice of the
Peace who owes the city more than a million dollars.
A local judicial watch group has filed a formal complaint against
the JP.
CBS 11 broke the story about Oak Cliff justice of the peace Thomas
Jones and his twenty year debt to the city.
Now we've learned there is at least ten million dollars owed to
Dallas taxpayers from other people who have lost lawsuits to the
city, but have just refused to pay.
Justice of the Peace Jones has been enforcing the law in his
courtroom for 14 years, but he continues to refuse to follow the law
himself.
Ten years ago a court ordered him to pay $1.2 million to the City of
Dallas, and he's never attempted to make good.
When we first tracked down Judge Jones for this story, he referred
us to his attorney. He's refused to give any further comment.
Now his actions have caught the attention of Russ Verney who heads
‘Judicial Watch’, a non-profit group that monitors the conduct of
elected officials.
Verney has filed a complaint with the state commission of judicial
conduct against Judge Jones. The Texas Code of Judicial Conduct
states, "A judge shall comply with the law."
Verney says there's plenty of blame to go around.
“The City of Dallas went to court to get a judgment then failed
miserably to collect, a breach of fiduciary duty.”
In addition to Judge Jones’ case, there's at least ten million
dollars in unpaid judgments at Dallas City Hall.
Most of those cases are code violations where the city sued property
owners to tear down dangerous structures, and collecting the money
wasn't the real priority.
“Sometimes the city has a broader responsibility to protect
neighbors and the community,” said Tom Perkins, Dallas City
Attorney.
If the state judicial commission finds that Judge Jones has violated
the code, it does have the authority to reprimand him or force him
to resign.