Houston Attorney Pauline Higgins Accepting Metro Apology for False Statements

HOUSTON, Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston attorney Pauline E. Higgins will address the public and media during a press conference scheduled for today to announce the recent apology and settlement she has received from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Houston (Metro) in order to resolve her wrongful termination and defamation claims against the agency.

Ms. Higgins - a lawyer, CPA, community leader and former Metro general counsel, will discuss the apology and settlement today at 1 p.m. at the law firm offices of Rusty Hardin & Associates at 5 Houston Center, 1401 McKinney Street, Suite 2250 in downtown Houston. Ms. Higgins will be accompanied by her lawyers Mr. Hardin and Joe Ahmad of Houston's Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos.

"Metro has accepted responsibility for the false statements it made about me to the media and acknowledged that it was improper to fire me in a February press conference laced with these false claims," says Ms. Higgins, who worked at two major law firms, a bank and a major accounting firm before joining Metro.

"All I wanted from Metro officials after they went to the media to discredit me as a scapegoat for Metro's problems was for them to apologize and repair the damage they did," says Ms. Higgins, who served as Metro's Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary with responsibility for the Legal Department, Administration, Small Business, Real Estate, and Procurement. "I am proud that I was able to achieve this apology without costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. I will receive no money from Metro beyond reimbursement of attorney's fees and expenses that were necessary to get Metro to officially recognize that those statements were false."

"I certainly join Metro in regretting it took the actions it did. But I do not regret standing up against those actions.  No one is above the law, and I will bear any burden in order to defend public trust and accountability," Ms. Higgins says. "They engaged in a media war against me, but I have weathered that storm. I am still here standing for accountability for public funds, public trust, ethics and the rule of law.  As long as I am alive, I will fight for respect for the public trust, transparent stewardship of public resources, and ethical brokerage of business."

For further information please contact Alan Bentrup or Mary Flood at 713-383-0090 or 800-559-4534 or [email protected].

SOURCE Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos; Pauline Higgins