Fired Houston police chief’s lawsuit moves forward

HOUSTON — Whatever happened to that lawsuit the city’s erstwhile police chief filed against the mayor?

It’s still going.

At a meeting Monday, lawyers on both sides of Charley McAnally said they could be ready for trial at 10 a.m., Dec. 3. Which, of course, implies that parties have not yet reconciled their differences and a trial is still in the works.

“Mr. McAnally is now in Barrow so if we want to have depositions let me know when you want to do those,” McAnally’s attorney, Ken Jacobus, told the other attorneys at Monday’s hearing. The attorney said McAnally had found work in that far-north community.

McAnally arranged for the lawsuit to be served on various city officials at a city council meeting in mid-July.

Defendants named in the lawsuit include Mayor Virgie Thompson, Deputy Mayor Jim Johansen, city treasurer Carolyn Grabowski and one non-city-official, Dallas Massie, a retired Alaska State Trooper.

McAnally was hired in October 2009. The police department expanded and contracted during his tenure and at times he was the only officer on staff at HPD. Currently, there is no department. And city politicians seem reluctant to resurrect it anytime soon.

McAnally’s time as captain of the department was tumultuous, culminating in allegations that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was looking into possible misuses of city funds.

Houston city officials say they doubt the alleged FBI investigation even exists.

The lawsuit alleges everything from breach of contract to unfair practices, to retaliation, wrongful termination and even the violation of McAnally’s constitutional rights.

The allegations against Massie border on accusing the former detective of slander, saying he said unflattering things to the council about McAnally.

The lawsuit requests that all negative evaluations and counseling be taken out of McAnally’s file, that everyone named in the lawsuit be ordered to stop saying bad things about him, that McAnally be paid for the time he was out of work, and for additional punitive damages for the hit McAnally took to his reputation and the difficulty he faces getting another job.

The total, the lawsuit claims, will be more than $100,000.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.