Corrections Board Members Fight Settlement to Clear Names

LITTLE ROCK, AR. - A complex legal fight involving the Arkansas Board of Corrections and the Attorney General's office might not be over yet. Even though new board members recently agreed to settle some lawsuits, two individuals involved are pushing back.

For a while now, there's been a power struggle between the Board of Corrections, the Governor, and the Attorney General. The biggest recent change came when new board members, chosen by the Governor, voted to settle lawsuits against the Governor and Attorney General. This was surprising because the Board had actually won some of these cases earlier.

Monday's court hearing focused on one of these settlements. In this agreement, the Board admitted defeat in a lawsuit brought by the Attorney General. That lawsuit claimed the Board had broken government transparency laws, also known as "Freedom of Information Act" (FOIA) laws, multiple times.

As part of the settlement, the Attorney General agreed to drop the lawsuit if the new board majority would admit that current board member Lee Watson and former chairman Benny Magness had violated the FOIA.

Joe Denton, a lawyer representing Watson and Magness, explained that his clients found out the Board was suddenly changing its mind and agreeing to this settlement. Watson and Magness say they never had a chance to argue against these accusations. They deny doing anything wrong and have asked the court to let them join the case and temporarily stop the settlement. They want a chance to defend their reputations in court.

On Monday, Judge Tim Fox didn't immediately decide on their request or the Attorney General's request to dismiss the case. Instead, he gave the Attorney General's office time to respond to Watson and Magness's arguments. Judge Fox also seemed concerned about the fact that Watson and Magness had no say in the settlement and how it could hurt their reputations.

So, for now, the door remains open for Watson and Magness to try and clear their names.

Another controversial settlement between the Board and the Governor, about who controls the Department of Corrections, is currently being reviewed by the Arkansas Supreme Court.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office stated that all claims in the lawsuit have been resolved through the settlement, and the court should now dismiss the case.