Liberty County Commissioners Court met in a special session in September and voted unanimously to defer taking any action on providing legal representation to Deputy Steven Rasberry until an insurance-company investigation is complete.

The presiding official opened the brief special meeting at about 3:35 p.m. and said County Attorney Matthew Poston and Assistant County Attorney Catherine McCarty were present to discuss whether the county should provide legal representation for Rasberry, who is named in a federal civil action listed in the transcript as "1 2 4 c v 3 2 3, Jeremiah Mink v Travis k Berman and Steve t Raspberry," pending in the United States District Court, Eastern District.

The court briefly moved into executive session under the attorney-consultation exception, cited in the meeting as section 551.071 of the Texas Government Code. The court entered closed session at approximately 3:36 p.m. and returned at about 3:48 p.m.

After returning to open session, Commissioner Bruce moved "not to take any action until after the insurance investigation," and Greg seconded the motion. The court voted unanimously in favor, recorded as a 3-0 vote. The motion postponed any county decision on whether to provide legal defense or representation to Deputy Rasberry pending the outcome of the insurance company's investigation.

The commissioners then moved to adjourn. The special meeting concluded shortly after the unanimous vote to defer action.

Authorities and context: The court cited Texas Government Code §551.071 as the statutory basis for consulting with attorneys in executive session. The transcript identifies county attorneys Matthew Poston and Catherine McCarty as the presenters for the item. The case caption and numeric identifier in the transcript appear garbled; the transcript text records the caption exactly as quoted above and does not provide a clear docket number beyond that phrasing.

Next steps: The court provided no timetable in the meeting for when the insurance investigation is expected to conclude or when the item will return to the agenda. No formal motion to appoint outside counsel or to authorize county-paid representation was approved at this session.