As a public service, TLR is making available copies of selected documents filed in the court cases resulting from the question of whether District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) is allowed to vote on the employment contract of County Administrator Mark Belton after having been administratively barred from doing so by the rest of the board.
The case is C-08-CV-23-000002, Amanda Stewart, et al. vs. The Charles County Board of County Commisioners, et al.
TLR‘s coverage of the cases, which are referred to collectively as “Stewart et al. v Commissioners,” can be found here.
Filings:
- “Verified Complaint for Temporary Restraining Order, Permanent Injunction, and Declaratory Judgment, Or, Alternatively, Writ of Mandamus and/or Prohibition,” Dec. 30, 2022
- Exhibit 1: Report of the Sargeant Investigation (UNDER SEAL)
- Exhibit 2: Minutes of the Closed Session of the County Commissioners, Tuesday, June 9, 2020 (UNDER SEAL)
- Exhibit 3: “Regular Meeting of County Commissioners, Tuesday June 9, 2020“
- “Motion to Intervene of Mark Belton,” Jan. 3, 2023
- “The Charles County Board of County Commissioners’ Motion to Dismiss,” Jan 13, 2023
- “Memorandum in Support of Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Motion to Dismiss the Complaint,” Jan. 13, 2023 (REDACTED)
- “Defendant Commissioner Rueben B. Collin Ii’s Motion to Dismiss, Or, in the Alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment,” Jan. 13, 2023
- “Defendant Commissioner Ralph E. Patterson’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs’ Complaint and Opposition to Temporary Restraining Order,” Jan. 13, 2023
- “Plaintiff Commissioners’ Consolidated Opposition to Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss,” Jan. 20, 2023
- “Intervening Plaintiff Mark Belton’s Consolidated Opposition to Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss,” Jan. 20, 2023
- “Reply Memorandum of Law in Support of Defendant Commissioner Ralph E. Patterson’s Motion to Dismiss and Opposition to Temporary Restraining Order,” Jan. 23, 2023
- “Defendant Commissioner Reuben B. Collins’ Reply Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion To Dismiss, or, in the Alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment,” Jan. 23, 2023
- “Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Reply to Plaintiffs’ Opposition to Motion to Dismiss,” Jan. 23, 2023 (REDACTED)
- “Corrected Memorandum in Support of Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Motion to Dismiss the Complaint,” Jan. 24, 2023
- “Order [arising from the Jan. 24, 2023, conference],” Feb. 15, 2023
- “Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Answer to Plaintiffs’ Complaint,” Jan. 31, 2023
- “Notice of Service of Discovery Material,” Feb. 3, 2023
- “Notice of Appeal,” Feb. 3, 2023
- “Joint Motion to Stay the Circuit Court Proceedings Pending Outcome of the Appeal,” Feb. 8, 2023
- “Order [arising from the Feb. 14, 2023, conference],” Feb. 22, 2023
- “Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Verified Counter-Claim and Cross-Claim,” Feb. 24, 2023
- “Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Motion to Unseal and De-Designate the Fully Unredacted Minutes of the June 9, 2020, and December 13, 2022, Closed Sessions of the Board,” March 2, 2023
- Exhibit A: Redacted Minutes of the Closed Sessions of the County Commissioners, Tuesday, June 9, 2020, and Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022 (UNDER SEAL)
- Exhibit B: Unredacted Minutes of the Closed Sessions of the County Commissioners, Tuesday, June 9, 2020, and Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022 (UNDER SEAL)
- “Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Motion to Suspend the Temporary Restraining Order and Stay Further Proceedings Pending Appeal,” and accompanying Memorandum in Support of Motion, March 9, 2023
- Exhibit A: Minutes of the Closed Session of the County Commissioners, Tuesday, June 9, 2020 (UNDER SEAL)
- Exhibit B: “Declaration of Thomasina O. Coates,” originally submitted to the Appellate Court of Maryland Feb. 9, 2023
- Exhibit C: Minutes of the Closed Session of the County Commissioners, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022 (UNDER SEAL)
- Exhibit D: Transcript, “Motions Hearing, Tuesday, January 24, 2023,” originally submitted to the Appellate Court of Maryland Feb. 9, 2023
- Exhibit E: “Order [in the Appellate Court of Maryland, No. 2133 September Term, 2022, MDEC: ACM-REG-2133-2022],” originally issued by the Appellate Court of Maryland March 6, 2023
- “Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Motion to Shorten Briefing Schedule for Motion to Suspend Temporary Restraining Order and to Stay Further Proceedings Pending Appeal,” March 9, 2023
- “Defendant Charles County Board of County Commissioners’ Opposition to Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Motion to Unseal and De-Designate the Fully Unredacted Minutes of the June 9, 2020 and December 13, 2022 Closed Sessions of the Board,” March 10, 2023
- “Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Opposition to Joint Motion to Stay the Circuit Court Proceedings Pending Outcome of the Appeal,” March 13, 2023
- “Plaintiff Commissioners’ Opposition to Defendant Commissioner Coates’s Motion to Shorten Briefing Schedule for Motion to Suspend Temporary Restraining Order and to Stay Further Proceedings Pending Appeal,” March 13, 2023
- “Reply to Opposition to Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’ Motion to Shorten Briefing Schedule for Motion to Suspend Temporary Restraining Order and to Stay Further Proceedings Pending Appeal,” March 14, 2023
- “Plaintiff Commissioners’ Motion for Leave to File Sur-Reply to Address Misrepresentations and New Evidence in Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’s Reply in Support of Motion to Shorten Briefing Schedule for Motion to Suspend Temporary Restraining Order and to Stay Further Proceedings Pending Appeal,” March 15, 2023
- “Plaintiff Commissioners’ Sur-Reply in Support of Their Opposition to Defendant Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates’s Motion to Shorten Briefing Schedule for Motion to Suspend Temporary Restraining Order and to Stay Further Proceedings Pending Appeal,” March 15, 2023
- Exhibit A: “Plaintiffs-Appellee’ Opposition to Appellant’s Motion to Suspend Temporary Restraining Order and Stay Further Proceedings in the Circuit Court,” originally submitted to the Appellate Court of Maryland Feb. 16, 2023
- “Reply to Defendant Charles County Board of County Commissioners’ Opposition to Defendant Thomasina O. Coates’ Motion to Unseal and De-Designate the Fully Unredacted Minutes of the June 9, 2020 and December 13, 2022 Closed Sessions of the Board,” March 16, 2023
- “Praecipe Requesting a Status/Scheduling Conference,” March 22, 2023