Former Bryan school district superintendent Tommy Wallis has lost his attempt to hold the district in civil contempt of court for not protecting documents critical of his job performance.
Wallis wanted the district to pay up to $54,000 dollars in legal fees.
A Travis County district judge referred to three related cases in ruling she could not hold BISD in contempt for any action not taken through a properly called meeting of its board of trustees.
Seven Bryan ISD officials who testified at the court hearing all denied being the source of documents that were leaked to KBTX and The Eagle, nor did any of them know who was the source.
The judge previously decided not to issue civil contempt of court citations against five former members of Wallis’s leadership team and two school board members. Wallis had initially sought criminal contempt citations, but withdrew that request during the court hearing.
Wallis wanted the district to pay almost $20,000 dollars of legal expenses for work directly related to the contempt motion and more than $34,000 in attorney fees for work before the contempt motion.
While Wallis lost his motions, the judge gave BISD officials more specific instructions beyond the orders she issued last January to prevent the release of documents that Wallis is still seeking to be permanently banned from public view.
A hearing to determine whether any of the documents the judge has blocked from public view will be released, as sought by the Texas attorney general’s office, is scheduled to be held October 2.
