By Ray King
Attorneys representing both Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson and Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. on Wednesday reached a settlement agreement to hopefully end a pending lawsuit.
Following a hearing Wednesday, attorney Tim Cullen, who represents Woods’ attorney, Kimberly Dale, told Deltaplex news what the two sides had agreed to.
Robinson and 12 members of the Jefferson County Quorum Court were accused of violating the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act in a case that dates back to 2022 when Dale sought information about county finances. Dale originally filed a complaint and in October 2022 Special Judge Bentley Storey entered an order telling the county to provide Dale with the information she requested.
A supplemental petition was filed saying that while most members of the Quorum Court had provided information, one JP, Reginald Adams, had not, and Robinson was continuing to adopt a different standard to claims for payment by the sheriff as opposed to other county offices. Attorney Burt Newell, who represents Robinson and the JP’s, denied the claim.
At the Wednesday hearing, Storey gave both sides five minutes, which stretched to about 20, to meet and come to a resolution of the complaint.
“It’s time for this to end,” the judge said.
As a part of the agreement, Jefferson County will pay attorney and court costs, as well as the cost of third-party hired to examine computers in the judge’s office.
As far as Adams is concerned, Cullen said he intended to submit information to Dale but that didn’t happen and Adams talked with both Cullen and Newell about what he would have said to Dale.
