Watch CBS News

Second Lawsuit Claiming Residency Ineligiblity Against Warren Evans Tossed Out By Judge

DETROIT (WWJ) -- A judge has thrown out a second lawsuit seeking to disqualify Wayne County Executive candidate Warren Evans. Wayne County Circuit Court Chief Judge Robert Colombo threw out the suit filed by Phil Cavanagh, who claims that Evans doesn't meet the residency requirements.

In response, State Rep. Phil Cavanagh said that he plans to appeal the ruling.

"Now is the time that we end the long-standing tradition of politicians gaming the system in Wayne County," Cavanagh said.

Colombo also tossed out a lawsuit on Friday that claimed Evans should not be on the ballot because he did not establish residency in the county 30 days before the filing deadline. The suit was filed by former Canton Township supervisor Thomas Yack.

"The fact of the matter is that Warren in his affidavit clearly stated that he moved back into the county on January 19," Evans' attorney John Perich said. "There's absolutely no evidence that refuted anything other than what he said and that he's qualified to run for the office, and the court has reaffirmed that qualification."

Perich said that despite the opposition, his client is still the best option for county residents.

"They got, I guess, a little bit of publicity," Perich said. "But, the reality is that publicity shouldn't detract from the qualifications of Warren Evans and his campaign and that's what he's going to do — he's going to campaign to the last day."

Judge Colombo said the lawsuit was filed too late. Besides the lateness of the case, Colombo said that Evans did qualify under the law to be placed on the ballot.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.