Who wants to depose Ric Williamson?

October 18, 2007

By PEGGY FIKAC / Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

Activist Terri Hall -- a critic of the Texas Department of Transportation who has sued to stop public spending on a campaign to promote toll roads -- called it a victory for taxpayers today when a state judge agreed to delay a court hearing.

State District Judge Orlinda Naranjo could have ruled immediately on a state request that she throw out the lawsuit filed against top transportation officials by Hall's group, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom.

But Naranjo agreed to a request by Hall's lawyers for a 90-day delay to allow them to try to get more documents on the campaign from the state agency and, possibly, to get depositions of agency officials.

(They didn't say they'd depose Commission Chairman Ric Williamson, but wouldn't that be interesting?)

San Antonio lawyer Charles Riley has been joined on the case by David Van Os, a former Democratic candidate for attorney general.

When Riley initially requested documents from TxDOT under the Public Information Act, the state agency went to Attorney General Greg Abbott saying the information "may be excepted from disclosure."

The TxDOT letter cited every exception in the Public Information Act. (Riley provided a copy).

Riley said after an initial court hearing in which Naranjo denied a request to immediately stop state spending, he got some documents from the agency after all.

But the lawyer said that court discovery procedures will allow him to get the documents he requests in a complete and timely way.