Richmond Mayor Tom Butt has been hit with a temporary restraining order by his own city, according to reporting by SFGATE.
The order, approved on Dec. 7, alleges that Butt violated client-attorney privilege by publishing confidential information to his blog, the outlet reported.
According to the Contra Costa County Superior Court judge’s ruling, Butt published two separate posts in November containing "confidential and privileged communication" by City Attorney Teresa Stricker, the paper reported.
Stricker intends to resign from her position by Jan. 3, according to one of Butt’s postings from Nov. 4.
In Butt’s speculation over Stricker’s reasoning for resigning, he wrote, "In my opinion, the RPA City Council majority has been consistently directing the city attorney to act in ways that are illegal and/or a breach of the California Bar Rules, professional ethics and the professional standard of care," he said. "Perhaps she had no alternative other than to resign."
Butt has accused the order filed against him of violating his First Amendment rights, and will not follow it, he told the paper.
In an interview with the paper, Butt said, "the court made a significant error," and planned to file an ex-parte motion.
A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 29. Tom Butt did not respond to KCBS Radio’s request for comment at the time of publication.
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