Judge denies HCC protective order request

Houston Community College, which fired its lawyer Renee Byas and then sued her, won’t get the protective order it sought last week to seal HCC documents in the court case.

Rusty Hardin told the court that HCC sought to fire Byas because she, along with attorneys at Gardere Wynne Sewell, were investigating possible corruption by trustees. Byas also listed documents in her possession that supported her assertion that HCC sought to fire her because she was a whistleblower.

In a ruling this week, state District Judge Jeff Shadwick denied HCC’s request, saying it was too broad to enforce and focuses on information already in former general counsel Renee Byas’ possession.
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