The legal battle between Democrat House Speaker Mark Eves and Republican Governor Paul LePage went on their way to the US federal court. The two are contesting each other's claim regarding a civil rights lawsuit filed against the governor.
According to WCSH6 News, the attorneys representing both parties have started their war, throwing arguments to each another. A judge will decide whether House Speaker Mark Eves' lawsuit against Governor LePage will be dismissed.
Eves filed the lawsuit after a threat made by the governor to withhold funding from the Goodwill-Hinckley School led to his termination. Meanwhile, LePage's attorney said that the suit must be thrown out since the defendant has immunity as a Governor, considering the case involves money in a proposed budget that was subject to legislative action.
WMTW wrote that Governor Paul LePage and Mark Eves were neither in the hearing but their lawyers represented them as the former tries for the dismissal of the lawsuit. Furthermore, it was revealed that the Good Will-Hinckley school was going to hire Eves as President on June 8 but he was eventually fired on June 24. The governor said "Yeah, I did. If I could, I would. Absolutely. Why wouldn't I? Tell me why I wouldn't take taxpayer money to prevent somebody to go into a school and destroy it because his heart's not in doing the right thing for Maine people?"
Eves' attorney, David Webbert, said the civil rights case is based on the merits that his client was targeted due to him being a Democrat.
According to WLBZ2, Webbert said in a statement, "You can't say I won't give money to organizations that have Black leadership or Female leadership or Catholic leadership or that have a Democrat because I don't like Democrats. Those are out of bounds in our democracy and that's what the courts are there to enforce."
LePage's attorney didn't release a comment regarding their progress after the hearing. Federal Judge George Singal said he's trying to be diligent regarding the case and would reveal the verdict in the very near future.
