Judge could drop case accusing Wyandotte County official of bribery, endangerment
A Wyandotte County judge will soon consider whether to toss out a lawsuit accusing 6th District Commissioner Philip Lopez of attempted bribery, child endangerment, property damage and more.
Twenty-ninth Judicial District Judge Constance Alvey will hear a motion to dismiss and a request for a more definite statement in the case against Lopez, his business and a local mobile home park during a 9:30 a.m. Sept. 16 hearing, according to court records.
In early August, Kansas City, Kansas, resident Amanda Watson filed suit against Lopez and his business that alleged his employees endangered her son by instructing him to feed materials through a woodchipper and that they damaged her home by dropping tree branches on her roof.
The suit also maintains that Lopez tried to use his political position to offer Watson, a local dressmaker, small incentives in order to avoid an insurance claim.
Royal Estates Mobile Home Park, Watson’s property management group, has also been named in the lawsuit for negligent hiring and supervision of Arboles Tree Trimming.
Lopez, a Wyandotte County commissioner and a candidate in the November general election, entirely refuted claims against him, calling them “bullshit” and alleging Watson wants to wrongfully get an insurance payout from him.
At least one government official confirmed that Lopez, ahead of a board meeting earlier this summer, showed the Unified Government commissioners photos of Watson’s dresses and suggested helping her out.
Lopez, Arboles Tree Trimming and Royal Estates, as of Sept. 2, were all being defended by attorneys Mark Molner, Hale Weirick and Michael Bene. Watson is representing herself.
An Aug. 27 motion to dismiss filed on behalf of Royal Estates asks that the court dismiss all claims against the mobile home park and against Lopez as an individual. The motion asked for any allegations against Arboles Tree Trimming, except negligence, be dismissed. It also asked Watson to amend and clarify her claims to be less vague and focus on the negligence accusation, according to court documents.
“Only Plaintiff’s claim of negligence has any chance of redemption, and only if the Plaintiff is able to amend her pleadings to articulate the required elements of a cause of action for negligence, beginning with who she claims was negligent, and ending with how she claims she was harmed,” according to the motion.
The lawsuit came shortly before Lopez was one of two candidates to win the primary race for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK’s at-large District 2 seat. He and Andrew Kump will face off for that seat, currently held by Tom Burroughs, in November.
