During the upcoming Tuesday, June 20 Port Arthur City Council Executive Session, set to begin at 4 p.m., the council will decide the fate by vote on whether to pay $48,000 dollars to attorney Langston Adams. This would be for attorney’s fee for his part in representing Reginald Trainer, Efrain Avendano, Paul Hulin and Herman Leginston, in their suit against the City of Port Arthur over the Edison Square project. Interestingly enough, this is a lawsuit that the City of Port Arthur ultimately won.
Confused as to why the city should pay anything, even after winning a lawsuit? Join the crowd.
First off, this action should not even be on the meeting agenda for Tuesday, as the two parties are still in mediation over this issue. Mediation that may very well reduce, or eliminate the amount the city could pay.
But for three city council members, councilmen Willie Lewis, Harold Doucet and Raymond Scott, there has been a constant call to push this fee through and be done with it.
Back in 2013 Attorney Langston Adams filed a lawsuit against the city, allowing The ITEX Group to build Edison Square in Port Arthur. ITEX and the city altered their plans to meet the zoning requirements. Thus making this lawsuit moot.
One would think that this would have been the end of it. However, was not the case. A new lawsuit was filed against the city over the current zoning laws and put a halt to this project before it could move forward once again. The City of Port Arthur won this lawsuit.
Still not done, attorney Langston Adams filed an appeal. The city won that case as well.
In many cases, when an attorney wins a suit, the losing individual or entity will pay the attorneys fees of the winning side. However, in this case, attorney Adams filed with in the 172nd District Court with Judge Floyd, to have the City of Port Arthur pay all legal fees incurred throughout the entire process. Even though he lost two of the three cases.
Showing that the initial lawsuit in 2013 neither had a winner or a loser, but was moot, Judge Floyd ruled in favor of attorney Adams and for the city to pay $50,737. This number was derived from documents submitted to the court, which detailed the amount of time Adams spent on the entire case.
As what should have happened, the city filed their own appeal to Judge Floyd’s ruling, stating that since the city won two of the three lawsuits, they should not be liable for the entire amount. Upon hearing this, Judge Floyd agreed and was poised to reverse his decision, when attorney Adams requested the two entities undergo mediation. Which is where we are today.
Confused more? This drama definitely can be. But let’s get straight to the point.
During the time frame surrounding the initial lawsuit, Councilman Lewis and now Councilman Doucet met with attorney Adams multiple times. Information from these meetings was then shared with the plaintiffs who hired attorney Adams while in suit against the city. This information is fact, and proven by open records requested and received by The Port Arthur News which reads below.
In Exhibit A-1 of the court documents received by The Port Arthur News, referring to the invoice for services on the matter of Reginald Trainer, et, al v. City of Port Arthur, Cause No. E194887, typed on Attorney Langston Scott Adams’ letterhead, concerns read as such.

10/16/13     Met with Harold Doucet 6.0/hr
10/17/13    Spoke with Reinald Trainer: phone calls to Hulin, Avendano, Livingston  3.0/hr
10/17/13    Met with Doucet to discuss offer 2.5/hr
10/18/13 Met with Willie Bae Lewis. 2.5/hr
10/20/13    Met with Lewis 1.5/hr
10/20/13    Emailed all 4 clients regarding Doucet and Lewis Mtgs. 1.0/hr
10/21/13 Watch Doucet video; emailed clients. 3.5/hr

In regards to councilman Lewis’ meeting with attorney Adams while a sitting city councilman, discussing the lawsuit against the entity and citizens he represents, without approval is highly unethical, as I shared back in March.
Although not on council at the time, these meetings listed with current councilman Doucet clearly show a biased connection to attorney Langston Adams by both Doucet and Lewis. And why they both support paying Adams the full amount.
It is for this connection that we call on councilmen Doucet and Lewis to act responsibly for the citizens of Port Arthur in which they represent and to recuse themselves from any and all votes regarding payment in this case.
To not recuse themselves sends a clear message to the citizens they represent, that their tax dollars which will be used to pay this fee means less to them than the hotel tax dollars, which are not paid by citizens, that would have been used for a new logo.
In addition, we call for the rest of city council to allow our judicial system to do its job by working through the mediation process.
However, the real question still has not been answered. “Why would anyone push so hard to pay the full amount, using tax money from the citizens they are sworn to represent and the city government they are a part of, before mediation is even over?” Unless they have something to gain from it! There absolutely is no other reason.