D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles’ crusade against special education lawyers and his hardball negotiations with the city’s unions are drawing fire from the chairman of the D.C. Council’s judiciary committee.
In a recent letter to Nickles, Phil Mendelson, D-at large, says Nickles is “embarrassing” the city by bringing lawsuits against special-ed lawyers and by not paying the city’s dues in arbitration cases with the city’s employees unions. Mendelson says the attorney general is trying to intimidate victims of city incompetence by driving up their court costs.
“Public sector stands on the dual pillars of finding justice and serving truth,” states Mendelson’s letter, written late last month. “Fairness, not winning, is paramount.”
Nickles has filed a handful of lawsuits against special-ed lawyers who he says are wasting the city’s time and money with “frivolous” complaints. Last month, Nickles was rebuked by a federal judge, who tossed one such lawsuit. The judge ruled Nickles was trying “to punish plaintiffs who were right to complain about the wrongs the schools committed.”
Mendelson has been a longtime critic of Nickles and helped organize unsuccessful efforts to block his nomination as attorney general.
Asked for comment, Nickles bristled at Mendelson’s latest criticism.
“I litigated for 45 years. My friend, Mr. Mendelson, is not even a lawyer,” Nickles told The Examiner.
Mendelson has slashed Nickles’ budget in the coming fiscal year. Nickles called the move “outrageous.”
“For 20 years, the District was known around this town’s lawyers as a bunch of patsies,” he said. “When we stand up and defend the District and save this city millions and millions of dollars, he slashes our budget. By what right does he do this?”
On Friday, Nickles filed another lawsuit against a special-ed lawyer.
