Lawsuit settled, Forest Hill council member reinstated to office following suspension
Beckie Duncan Hayes can continue serving on the Forest Hill City Council after reaching a settlement in her lawsuit against the city and four council colleagues.
Frank Hill, an attorney who represented Hayes, said Hayes will be reinstated and the city will pay her attorney fees, under the terms of the settlement. The council voted to settle during a specially-called meeting Jan. 24.
“We are delighted with the courts ruling and the settlement,” Hill said in an email to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Council members Ozell Birks, Malinda Miller, Carlie Jones and Raquel Belle voted to suspend Hayes for four months on Nov. 14. They accused Hayes of violating the city’s charter for failing to obtain permits for work done at her home.
Hayes’ hired a contractor in April to repair damage to her home from February’s winter storm. An underground pipe burst, sending sewage into Hayes’ home. Because the break was close to the line that the city would be responsible for, Hayes contacted city employees, who came out and inspected the damage, and knew that repairs were needed, according to court documents.
Hayes also hired a foundation contractor, Cory Gray, who told her the repairs were cosmetic and that she did not have to have a permit. Gray was hired in April and finished the work in May. Hayes also contacted the city to make sure that she didn’t need a permit for the repairs, and was told that she did not need one, according to the lawsuit.
Besides the foundation repairs, other work was underway at her home. Tommy Thompson, Forest Hill’s chief code enforcement officer, drove past the home daily, but said he did not see anything that required a permit.