DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - The lawyer for Fort Worth's ousted police chief is once again demanding his immediate reinstatement.
Attorney Stephen Kennedy wrote to Fort Worth's lawyers, demanding for a third time that Joel Fitzgerald be given his job back with full back pay.
Fitzgerald was fired as police chief in May for what the city called an increasing lack of good judgment.
Kennedy says the city failed to follow the city charter in firing him.
"If he's going to be terminated, then that director — or here, the police chief — may request a public hearing," Kennedy says. "When the assistant city manager, Jay Chapa, wrote his termination memo, he said it was effective immediately. And so Dr. Fitzgerald never had an opportunity to request that public hearing, never had a public hearing, (and) the city council never voted."
Last Friday, Dallas County Court Judge Gena Slaughter granted Kennedy a temporary restraining order, preventing the city from hiring a new police chief for 14 days.
The city says in a statement that it will not try the case in the press and will not make any additional statements since a lawsuit has been filed.