City answers Royalty’s lawsuit, seeks repayment of investigation, hearing costs
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Thursday, May 4, 2017, 11 a.m. — The City of Bardstown has filed its answer to a lawsuit filed in April by John Royalty while he was still the city’s mayor.
The city’s answer was filed Tuesday in Nelson Circuit Court by the attorney Bruce Reynolds in response to a Royalty’s claims against the council. Royalty’s lawsuit also sought unsuccessfully to delay the public hearing that ended with Royalty’s removal.
JOHN ROYALTY
The city is also seeking the court to require Royalty pay the city back for all of the costs associated with the three-month investigation, the costs of the hearing that removed him from office, as well as attorney fees the city paid on Royalty’s behalf.
The costs the city seeks reimbursement for include Lexington attorney Scott Crosbie’s fees — $72,601.97; $6,800 in legal fees paid to Fulton Hubbard & Hubbard for their representation of Royalty while he was still mayor; the $3,000 fee paid to hearing officer Doughlas George; and all other expenses related to the investigation, public hearing, and legal fees.
The lawsuit bases its claim for repayment on the investigation’s findings that allege Royalty committed perjury and/or false swearing, official misconduct and unlawful access to a computer.
In addition to repayment of the cost of the investigation and hearing, the council’s lawsuit also seeks unspecified punitive damages against the former mayor.
CRIMINAL, ETHICAL REFERRALS. At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, the council voted unanimously to turn over the evidence gathered during the investigation and public hearing to the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney Terry Geoghegan for his review.
During an interview on WBRT’s “Bradford & Brooks” radio program, Mayor Dick Heaton said the referral was one of several actions that were recommended in the investigator’s report. The commonwealth’s attorney can review the evidence and determine if the evidence should be reviewed by the Nelson County grand jury.
The council also voted to forward the evidence to the joint city county board of ethics, which Heaton said will mostly like take the form of a complaint to the ethics board.
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