A Travis County judge has awarded $6.7 million to four whistleblowers who were fired after they reported Attorney General Ken Paxton to the FBI for alleged corruption.

In a judgment late Friday, Judge Catherine Mauzy ruled that a “preponderance of the evidence” showed Paxton had violated the Texas Whistleblower Act by firing the employees in retaliation for their allegations that he had abused the office to help a campaign donor.

Attorneys Tom Nesbitt and TJ Turner, who represent two of the whistleblowers, said in a statement Friday that state lawmakers now need to “do the honorable thing and fund the judgment so these brave public servants can be compensated.”

RELATED: Justice Department declined to prosecute Texas AG Paxton in final weeks of Biden's term: AP sources

Paxton’s office in a statement said it planned to appeal the “bogus” ruling.

The whistleblowers’ claims, made in late 2020, triggered an FBI investigation into Paxton and spurred the Texas House to impeach the Republican official. The Texas Senate acquitted him and federal prosecutors reportedly decided last year not to file charges.

The judgement is far higher than the initial $3.3 million settlement both sides agreed to in 2023. It was not funded by the GOP-led Legislature at the time amid pushback from then-House Speaker Dade Phelan, who said it was not a “proper use of taxpayer dollars.”

Last year, Paxton made the unusual move of declining to contest his former aides’ allegations because he said he didn’...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiowFBVV95cUxPOHJEN0YwMW51b2Q2MTFlSUtR...