Title
Appointing Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani as Special Counsel for Purposes of Providing Legal Advice, Counsel, and Representation for Council Member Cheniqua Johnson in the lawsuit captioned: Jon Berry v. the City of Saint Paul, et. al.
Body
WHEREAS, Section 5.02 of the Charter of the City of Saint Paul provides that in any case of special or unusual circumstances, the City Council, upon the request of the City Attorney may appoint special counsel to assist in providing for the legal business of the City; and
WHEREAS, due to a potential conflict within the Saint Paul City Attorney’s Office, the City Attorney’s Office seeks to provide the City of Saint Paul, Council Member Cheniqua Johnson with representation necessary for the effective defense of the civil lawsuit asserted against the City; and
WHEREAS, Council Member Johnson will be subject to discovery during the course of the litigation and as a Council Member of the City under these unique circumstances, is entitled to outside defense counsel; and
WHEREAS, the provision of legal advice, counsel and representation in civil employment and defamation lawsuits involving municipal liability requires very specialized and technical expertise for which the law firm of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani is uniquely qualified in terms of expertise, experience, and skill; and
WHEREAS, the City Attorney seeks City Council approval for the appointment of the law firm of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to serve as special counsel for the purpose of providing advice, counsel, and representation to Council Member Cheniqua Johnson in the above-captioned lawsuit.