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Denton Board of Ethics backs 1-year ban for people who file frivolous complaints, declines board power to impose attorney fees
Summary
The Board of Ethics directed staff to draft ordinance language that would bar anyone found to have filed a frivolous ethics complaint from filing another complaint for one year and to consult outside counsel; board members said the board itself should not be given power to levy or collect attorney fees against complainants.
The Denton Board of Ethics on Monday directed staff to draft an ordinance change that would bar people found to have filed frivolous ethics complaints from filing another complaint for one year, and to take that draft to outside counsel for review.
The change arose from a review of past cases and a concern that frivolous complaints — particularly those filed during election seasons — impose reputational harm on respondents and incur city costs. The board discussed two sanction options: a one-year bar on filing new complaints and a mechanism for recovering attorney fees paid by a respondent. Board members agreed to pursue the one-year bar and not to equip the board itself with authority to impose attorney-fee recovery.
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