Coordinated Debris Removal Law suit Update
If you've been following the County coordinated debris removal law suit, you'll know about DIGS. DIGS filed a Reply Brief asserting that they will not pursue a declaratory judgement. DIGS has not amended their complaint to make this official yet, however, nor have they offered to discontinue their request for declaratory relief with prejudice.
We observe that any ongoing litigation or discovery requests around the debris cleanup contract could have a chilling effect on the ability of all parties to execute and perform under the contract. Therefore, as long as DIGS is pursuing litigation or discovery against Boulder County relating to the contract, the debris cleanup may be delayed and we, the fire survivors, may be negatively impacted.
For all of these reasons, we have decided to file our Motion to Intervene despite the representations made by DIGS in their Reply Brief. This Motion to Intervene is our chance to put our concerns, the concerns of the Marshall Fire survivors, on the record so that the court knows how any delay in executing the debris cleanup contract for any reason impacts our collective physical, mental, and financial health.
What is this about?
Demanding Integrity in Government Spending (DIGS) is an organization from outside of our community led by Michael Brown, a former FEMA director who resigned in shame after a widely criticized response to Hurricane Katrina. In the complaint, DIGS asserts that delaying the Marshall Fire cleanup will not negatively impact our community. Instead, DIGS claims that the delay will benefit the community by allowing us to attend meetings where debris contract bids are discussed. We strongly disagree that a delay in the start of the debris cleanup provides any benefit to our community. We will be represented by Berg Hill, Greenleaf, Ruscitti.
There will be a hearing on DIGS motion requesting a Temporary Restraining Order against the contract today.
