Kirkland Wins Discovery Sanctions Against City of Houston in Pro Bono Case – Updated

By Natalie Posgate

(Sept. 1) – A federal judge Thursday slapped major sanctions on the City of Houston for violating discovery rules and destroying evidence in a class action lawsuit alleging the city violated thousands of Houstonians’ rights by unlawfully detaining them without a warrant past the constitutionally allowable 48-hour window.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt ruled that Houston officials’ efforts to hide the truth from the court was so extensive and deliberate that he would automatically presume the allegations of civil rights violations are true and that the city’s liability is no longer in question.