Lawyer Wants Ruiz to Pay His Legal Fees as Punishment in Residency Case

The lawyer for City Council candidate Lee Barnes says Teresa Garza Ruiz should be sanctioned for trying to sneak on to the City Council ballot.
Ruiz dropped out of the race last week against Barnes and Dennis Anthony. They are competing for the 5th District At-large seat to the Council. Ruiz claimed that she was a legal resident of the city and was properly registered in the 5th city council district. Her campaign, however, collapsed under the weight of conflicting evidence about her residence.
Barnes’ lawyer, Dan Zmijewski filed papers with the Jackson County Circuit Court Monday saying Ruiz ought to have to pay his legal fees.
If there ever was a case that screamed for the award of attorney fees as a sanction, this is the one,” Zmijewski wrote in his brief. He did not mention a monetary amount.
“Ruiz’s actions have confused the election because her name is now on ballot even though she knew she was not a valid candidate,” he continued.
Ruiz issued a statement last week saying she was dropping out of the reason for “personal reasons”.
She added that she may try politics again after her personal issues are resolved.