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Resident asks council to disclose legal expenses and waive privilege in Pascallis lawsuit
Summary
A resident asked the Aiken City Council to direct staff to produce a report of legal expenses and to consider a resolution waiving attorney-client privilege in the Pascallis lawsuit; the speaker requested invoices, attorney names and a total cost to date be provided at the next council meeting.
During the public comment period on Dec. 9, a resident identified as Dior (1006 Belle Reeve Drive) asked the council to provide fuller public disclosure of documents and legal expenses tied to the Pascallis lawsuit.
Dior said that at a prior meeting council members indicated support for providing documents to plaintiff attorneys but that only a subset of documents had been provided since. Dior suggested the council consider a resolution waiving attorney‑client privilege for certain documents and specifically asked Mayor Milner to direct the city manager to provide, by the next council meeting, a report listing total legal expenses to date in the Pascallis case, the attorneys’ names, and invoices paid or submitted for payment.
The request included a note that a prior estimate of legal fees had been described in earlier remarks as “as high as $500,000” over two years; Dior said taxpayers should be informed of the current total and asked that the report be returned at the next council meeting.
Why it matters: Requests for public reporting on litigation expenses raise transparency questions for municipal legal spending and may prompt council direction to staff or a formal resolution.
What to watch next: The speaker requested a formal direction to the city manager and a report at the next council meeting; any council action to require or authorize broader disclosure would need to be recorded in subsequent minutes or agenda materials.
