VOL 3 No. 27
Phone: 281-980-6745
www.fbindependent.com
FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Star liable to pay $48,000 in libel lawsuit
Four-year-old Taylor Brown of Meadows Place is all smiles after winning first place in the 4 & under non-motorized decoration contest of the city’s 20th annual 4th of July parade celebration.
By SESHADRI KUMAR Judge Thomas Culver of the 240th State District Court on July 1 affirmed the award of about $48,000 in court costs and attorney fees in an appeal pertaining to a defamation lawsuit filed against a local newspaper, the Fort Bend Star. Wade Brady, son of Chief Deputy Craig Brady in Fort Bend County Sheriff’s office filed the lawsuit against Fort Bend Star Publisher Bev Carter and Reporter LeAnn Klentzman. The Star initially sought a summary judgment dismissing the lawsuit filed by Brady and Culver rejected the motion. The Star then filed an appeal in The Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas. The appeals court rejected all seven complaints made by the Star against the denial of summary judgment by the district court and remanded the case back to the same court. The appeals court also ruled that the Star should pay Brady the court costs and the attorney fees incurred in connection with the appeal. After a long hearing, the judge awarded the court costs and attorney fees as requested and the judge did not cut any of the requested amount, John Zavitsanos, attorney for Brady said. The judge, in effect, endorsed the number of hours claimed and rejected the suggestion of the attorney for the Star that the attorney has billed for an unreasonable number of hours. The obligation to pay the amount does not arise until the end of the trial, set to begin on Oct. 5. “The lawsuit was filed eight years ago. Another four months would not make any difference. Time has come for the jury to evaluate the lawsuit,” Zavitsanos said. Attorney John Edwards, representing Carter, Klentzman, and the Star said, “We respect the court’s decision, but continue to believe that nearly 50K to file a brief and argue for 30 minutes is unreasonable. However, we are pleased the Judge agreed with us that payment shouldn’t be required until after trial, and if Brady loses, we will be entitled to our costs from Brady.” The court rejected Star’s plea that Wade Brady should be treated as a “limited-purpose public figure” and hence need not show actual malice on the part of the Star to prove that he was defamed or libeled. On Jan. 15, 2003, the Star published an article, written by Klentzman entitled, “Deputy Brady’s tape collecting called ‘Roadside Suppression.’ This article is the subject of the lawsuit. Wade alleged that appellants published a writing that injured his reputation by “omitt[ing] material facts and therefore creating a misleading presentation of the factual circumstances regarding [his] trial and the unrelated stop by the DPS trooper.” He asserted that many of the statements in the articles were lies.
Parade Marshal, State Representative Charlie Howard, and his wife are excited for the parade to begin!
Meadows Place brims with July4th celebration The singing of the national anthem! What better way to start the 4th of July festivities in Meadows Place for its 20th annual celebration. Fort Bend Theatre lead vocalist Katie Harrison did the honors that triggered the parade start with State Rep. Charlie Howard serving as the 2010 Parade Marshal.
Among the parade dignitaries was U.S. Congressman Pete Olson along with Mayor Charles Jessup and councilmembers, who rode in horse drawn carriages and wagons passing out candy. Clutch the Rockets Bear, Gulf Coast Sound Drum and Bugle Corps, and a music van provided by DJ’s Unlim-
ited delighted those alongside Dorrance and Mulholland streets as did the other entertaining parade entries. McGrath Park was the scene of excitement where the Independence Day party continued after the parade. A giant white rapids water slide was a cool treat for the kids and concessions sold by Meadows
Place All Play Baseball was all about things “Americana.” One of the highlights in Meadows Place on the 4th was the static military display whose attention became focal with the landing of an A-4 Apache helicopter flown by co-pilots Bob Stolting and Scott Nicholas.
Missouri City is looking to link up with the Metro commuter rail system in the near future, which will benefit 60,000 people who work in the Texas Medical Center and live in a cone extending from Pearland to Katy. Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen made this remark in his “state of the City” address, sponsored by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. Missouri City is conservatively moving forward in these challenging economic times, Owen told an audience of 200 on June 24 at the Sugar Creek Country Club. “We recently approved the 2011 fiscal year budget which set the City on a fiscally sound track to continue conservatively operating and meeting the citizens’ needs,” Owen said. He further explained that “we have no plans to raise taxes, which will be challenging.” Owen also pointed out the City’s commitment to safety, noting that “fifty cents of every dollar raised in the City goes toward public safety.” City Council recently approved a $31.2 million budget
blueprint for fiscal year 2011. The plan, which goes into effect July 1, reduces spending by 6.1 percent ($2.02 million) from the previous year. Credit ratings are stellar. Emphasizing their importance to the local economy, Owen recognized some of the City’s new business “partners,” including Lufkin Automation, Global Geophysical, Professional Packaging Systems, Ben E. Keith, Trammell Crow, Wallace-Bajjali Development Group, The LaSalle Group of Dallas and Charming Charlie. “Their presence here is important to the stability of our local economy and strengthens our City overall,” Owen said. He anticipates this new business growth on the North side of the City will spur development along the Texas Parkway/Cartwright Road corridor. The Highway 6 commercial corridor continues to prosper, with the addition of new food and retail businesses and two new medical facilities—Excel Urgent Care and UT Physicians. Owen cited a number of po-
lice and fire initiatives under way, including a partnership with Sienna Plantation in the development of Fire Station Number 5, strong police attendance at HOA meetings, the addition of seven police positions that are funded in the 2011 budget, the implementation of a ban on texting for drivers and the City’s recent purchase of a low-power AM radio station to inform and update residents in times of crises. “We understand citizens’ need to know what’s going on in their City during an emergency and will be meeting that need soon,” he said. Missouri City has a number of significant ongoing projects. Capital improvement projects on tap now, include: The revitalization of the Texas Parkway/Cartwright Road corridor, mobility projects on Highway 6 intersections and medians, traffic signal improvements and upgrades, construction of a new surface water treatment plant to meet state water mandates, plans to build a new community center and golf course club house at Quail Valley Golf Course, the
development of a tennis and recreation center and creating a park on the former Executive Nine site. “We are extremely proud of the Quail Valley Parks Project. We finally own this outstanding property. Now, we look forward to planning and developing recreation and community center facilities that will be destination places,” Owen said. Residents can view the Mayor’s State of the City speech on the City’s website: www.missouricitytx.gov.
Mayor shines light on ‘Show Me City’
Park for free, get a gift too Sasha Millice was the lucky winner of a $25 Sugar Land Town Square Gift Card. Throughout this summer, the management company at Sugar Land Town Square will award $25 gift cards randomly to visitors who park in one of the three free parking garages. Park your vehicle in the garage for your chance to win, plus beat the summer heat and keep your vehicle cool in the shade!
10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor
www.fbindependent.com 281-980-6745
Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.
Children’s Emergency Center Now Open.
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