LATEST EMBARASSMENT FOR HARRIS COUNTY ATTORNEY
June 30, 2014
Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan moved to suddenly postpone the trial on a 3-year old half a billion dollar environmental lawsuit he filed, just days after being accused of a “shakedown” of the philanthropic Houston family at the center of the case.
Why the sudden delay?
Harris County now wants to re-test the ground just weeks after telling state lawmakers the 4200 block of San Felipe was “egregiously contaminated” and endangering children in the area.
It turns out Harris County actually destroyed some of the alleged “evidence” when it dug up portions of San Felipe for a road project. Workers on the project were given no special protections despite the allegations of “egregious contamination”. In fact, Harris County has failed to issue any public warnings about the San Felipe danger, despite the construction of expensive new residential properties in the area.
The trial delay also comes amidst discovery the State of Texas actually approved a request to cap some of the other wells monitoring the dirt along San Felipe, ending the ability to test for possible contamination. That move follows sworn testimony from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality the area isn’t really dangerous at all, fueling questions about the true motive of the Harris County lawsuit.
Two weeks ago, Melcher family spokesman Wayne Dolcefino accused the County Attorney of getting approval from County Commissioners on false pretenses. Commissioners approved the lawsuit against the Melcher family and a tenant River Oaks Cleaners based on representations the site had leaking underground storage tanks.
The lawsuit was also filed without any independent investigation by Harris County pollution control investigators, despite these representations on the Harris County Attorney website.
“The cases pursued by this Practice Groupare the direct result of cooperation with investigators and other enforcement personnel whose inspections are initiated by public complaints made to each enforcement agency. Through this complaint and response policy, this PracticeGroup identifies and enforces against the most egregious violators of public nuisance and environmental laws.”
Dolcefino Consulting has reviewed four years of records detailing public complaints about the environment. Where are the complaints about San Felipe?
Harris County is paying an outside law firm up to 900 Dollars an hour to pursue the Melcher family, heirs to one of Houston’s greatest charity givers Leroy and Lucile Melcher. The family has objected to questions about the value of their inheritance as part of Ryans’ lawsuit.
Ryan’s office cannot produce any records detailing how much the firm has charged so far, even though the contract calls for the records to be public information. The firm only gets paid if the Melcher family loses or settles the case.
Harris County could have secured an environmental cleanup, if one was even necessary, without hiring an outside law firm that can collect a third of any judgment.
“ That is the shocking thing. No government agency had ever asked the Melcher family to clean up anything before Vince Ryan sued them, says Melcher family spokesman Wayne Dolcefino. “ Harris County didn’t even ask them to do anything. This is about a pay day for Ryan and his law firm buddies, not the environment.”
An investigation by Dolcefino Consulting revealed the Harris County Attorney did not even maintain a list of the most contaminated sites in Harris County, or even a copy of pollution complaints.
Rock Owens in Vince Ryan’s office told the Houston Press recently:
“In the 30 years I have been with the County Attorney’s Office, this is the first time I have ever seen a defendant go to such extraordinary lengths to prejudice a trial.”
Dolcefino Consulting has a message for Rock Owens.
“ The jig is up. The Melcher family isn’t going to be willing victims. They are good people who would rather spend their money on charity than on defending themselves against extortion.”
For Further Information and Interviews
Wayne Dolcefino
Dolcefino Consulting
713-389-0810
Wayne Dolcefino, President 5554 S. Peek Suite 33 5554 South Peek Rd.
Office 281-394-2997 Katy, Texas 77450
Mobile 713-389-0810