Can bribery suit against Wyandotte County official proceed in court? Next steps
A ruling on whether a Kansas City, Kansas, resident can continue to sue a Wyandotte county commissioner for attempted bribery, child endangerment and more has been postponed to October, just weeks before he will appear on voters’ ballots, according to parties involved in the case.
Philip Lopez, a local business owner and a commissioner on the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK’s governing board, was initially scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday morning alongside resident Amanda Watson.
However, that hearing was moved from District Judge Constance Alvey’s motion docket and rescheduled to Oct. 10. Both Watson and an attorney representing Lopez told The Star that the court moved the hearing to a special setting that would allow both parties to have additional time to deliver oral arguments.
The Oct. 10 date is subject to change in light of scheduling conflicts, according to Lopez’s attorney.
Watson, a local dressmaker and business owner, is suing Lopez for a string of allegations, including that he offered to use his political position to get her small business incentives in exchange for her not filing an insurance claim against his business. She is also suing his business, Arboles Tree Trimming, for negligence and for endangering her son after one of his employees allegedly instructed the 9-year-old to feed branches through a woodchipper earlier this summer. The boy was not harmed.
Watson is also saying Lopez has intentionally avoided handing over his business insurance information after employees allegedly dropped tree limbs and damaged Watson’s home. She’s also suing her landlord, Royal Estates Mobile Home Park, for negligent hiring of Lopez.
Lopez denies the claims against him and has said his efforts to help her business were unrelated to their insurance dispute.
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.
During the upcoming hearing, parties are expected to discuss a motion that asks the court to dismiss all claims against the mobile home park and against Lopez as an individual. The motion also asked that allegations against Arboles Tree Trimming, save for the negligence claim, be dismissed and that Watson clarify the negligence claim.
Watson filed the lawsuit back in early August, just shortly before Lopez passed the primary election for the Unified Government’s District 2 at-large seat. He and Andrew Kump will compete for that seat in the November general election.
