UNITED STATES NEWS

Lawsuit against Favre should be dismissed, attorneys argue

Apr 4, 2023, 11:56 AM

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Attorneys for retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre argued in a new court filing Monday that largest ever corruption case should be should be dismissed because the state Department of Human Services lacks evidence and is attempting to deflect from its own culpability.

Millions of federal welfare dollars intended to help low-income Mississippi residents — some of the poorest people in the country — were instead squandered on projects supported by wealthy or well-connected people, including projects backed by Favre, between 2016 and 2019, prosecutors say.

In a response to the department’s statements that a judge should ignore Favre’s request to be removed from the lawsuit, Favre’s attorneys wrote there is “no legal, factual, or moral basis” for the agency’s claims.

“It is plain that, as it did in its original complaint, MDHS — which itself carried out the allegedly wrongful transfer of funds to another state entity, a transfer approved by, among others, Mississippi’s Attorney General — continues to sue Favre solely to attract publicity for improper political purposes,” Favre’s attorneys wrote.

Last year, the Department of Human Services sued Favre and more than three dozen other people or businesses. The suit says federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families money was misspent, including $5 million that went to a volleyball arena that Favre supported at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi — where his daughter also played the sport — and $1.7 million toward the development of a concussion treatment drug by a company in which Favre was an investor.

Kaytie Pickett, an attorney for the department, wrote in March court papers that Favre’s attorneys failed to provide solid legal arguments to get their client out of the lawsuit. Calling the attorneys’ motion to dismiss “a long press release,” she said the court should “disregard Favre’s diatribe.”

“MDHS deems Favre’s Motion a ‘long press release,’ but the shoe is on the other foot,” Favre’s attorneys countered Monday. They say Favre and his wife fulfilled commitments they made in a written pledge — months after the transfers that form the basis of MDHS’s claims — to raise funds to construct the volleyball facility.

Pickett declined to comment Tuesday on the new filings.

No criminal charges have been brought against the NFL Hall of Famer, although other people have pleaded guilty to their part in the misspending. Those who have pleaded guilty to criminal charges include John Davis, a director of a nonprofit organization who had ties to Favre and the concussion drug and volleyball projects.

As Favre has attempted to get out of the lawsuit, he has also filed three defamation lawsuits against Mississippi State Auditor Shade White and two former NFL players, Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe, who have sharply criticized Favre in their roles as national sportscasters.

“My hope is that the state can recover as much misspent welfare money — whether it’s from Mr. Favre or anyone else who bears responsibility — as possible,” White told The Associated Press Tuesday. “We are the auditors, not the lawyers who try these cases in court, but my team stands ready to provide the audit evidence for the criminal and civil cases as they proceed.”

___

Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mikergoldberg.

United States News

FILE - White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi attends a speech by President Joe Biden about supply c...

Associated Press

Biden rule aims to reduce methane emissions, targeting US oil and gas industry for global warming

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Saturday issued a final rule aimed at reducing methane emissions, targeting the U.S. oil and natural gas industry for its role in global warming as President Joe Biden seeks to advance his climate legacy. The Environmental Protection Agency said the new rule will sharply reduce methane and other […]

4 hours ago

Associated Press

Trump and DeSantis will hold dueling campaign events in Iowa with the caucuses just six weeks away

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ron DeSantis plans on Saturday to complete his campaign promise to visit each of Iowa’s 99 counties, a timeworn tactic for presidential candidates hoping to make their mark in the leadoff state over months mingling with voters at the state’s diners, cookouts and Pizza Ranches. But the Florida governor’s moment, […]

7 hours ago

FILE - Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is shown before administering the oath of office t...

Associated Press

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor paved a path for women on the Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — One fall day in 2010, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor slipped into the courtroom where she worked for nearly 25 years to take in an “amazing” sight. The first — and for 12 years, the only — woman on the high court saw three women in black robes among the […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

US Navy plans to raise jet plane off Hawaii coral reef using inflatable cylinders

HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Navy plans to use inflatable cylinders to lift and roll a jet plane off a coral reef in Hawaii before removal from the ocean waters where the aircraft crashed on Nov. 20. Rear Adm. Kevin Lenox, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 3 who is leading the salvage effort, said […]

8 hours ago

Associated Press

Las Vegas police search for suspect after 5 homeless people are shot, killing 2

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Five homeless people were shot in Las Vegas on Friday, two of them fatally, and police were searching for a lone suspect, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. near a freeway overpass in the northeastern part of the city, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Mark Lourenco. […]

9 hours ago

Associated Press

Judge rejects calls to halt winter construction work on Willow oil project in Alaska during appeal

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge in Alaska on Friday rejected requests from environmental groups to halt winter construction work for the massive Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope while the groups’ legal fight over the drilling project wages on. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason just last month upheld the Biden administration’s […]

10 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Follow @KTAR923...

The 2023 Diamondbacks are a good example to count on the underdog

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a surprise. That they made the playoffs at all, got past the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and won two road games in Philadelphia to close out a full seven-game NLCS went against every expectation. Now, […]

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University: innovating Arizona health care education

Midwestern University’s Glendale Campus near Loop 101 and 59th Avenue is an established leader in health care education and one of Arizona’s largest and most valuable health care resources.

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Importance of AC maintenance after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

An air conditioning unit in Phoenix is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat.

Lawsuit against Favre should be dismissed, attorneys argue