Updated at noon with comment from Ken Paxton and 11:57 a.m. with comment from attorneys representing two whistleblowers.
AUSTIN — The Office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has reached a settlement agreement with whistleblowers who alleged retaliation after they accused him of serious crimes.
Paxton, a Republican who was re-elected last year, will apologize and the state will pay the whistleblowers $3.3 million, according to settlement documents filed Friday morning.
The agreement notes the settlement was mediated and is contingent “upon all necessary approvals for funding.” It is likely that the Texas Legislature will need to approve of and budget the money out of state coffers.
The final settlement will include a line that states, “Paxton accepts that plaintiffs acted in a manner that they thought was right and apologizes for referring to them as ‘rogue employees.’” His office will also delete a press release criticizing the whistleblowers, all of whom served a top aides to Paxton.
The document states that entering in a settlement means there is no admission of “liability or fault” by any party.
The Dallas Morning News obtained a copy of the document from a party to the lawsuit. All four whistleblowers, who filed the lawsuit in late 2020, signed on to the agreement.
Paxton issued a statement through an agency spokesman soon after the settlement terms were filed Friday.
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