Farmers Branch Pays for Immigration Law

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas - The Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch will have to pay nearly half a million dollars to those who challenged an attempt to oust illegal immigrants from the city.

The Farmers Branch City Council agreed to pay $250,00 to apartment operators and $220,000 to advocacy organizations who sued over an ordinance requiring landlords to verify all tenants were United States citizens or legal immigrants, the media reported Wednesday.

A federal judge ordered Farmers Branch to pay the attorneys fees of the ordinance's challengers after the city rule was found to be unconstitutional. The judge also asked all parties to mediate a settlement on the costs.

"Litigation is an expensive proposition, as this settlement shows," said Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas. "Farmers Branch city officials seem intent on wasting more taxpayer money with their continued illegal attempts to discriminate against residents who rent instead of own homes."

Mayor Tim O'Hare did not return a call for comment Wednesday to The Associated Press.

Following the meeting that ended late Tuesday night, Farmers Branch officials issued a statement that said "The parties are pleased that this dispute has been resolved and have agreed to make no further statements regarding this settlement."

Attorneys for the Villas at Parkside Partners has asked for $480,000 in attorney fees and litigation expenses. Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund had requested $446,406 in attorney fees and costs. Attorneys representing the city contested the requests, saying the fees were excessive.

The settlement ends legal matters involving that version of the rental ordinance, said Barry Pound, a spokesman for the attorneys representing the city. However, Farmers Branch still faces additional lawsuits over a new version of the rental ban.

Since 2006, the city has spent some $2 million on legal fees related to illegal immigration rules and rental ordinances it has not been able to enforce, the newspaper reported.