The
first
rule
of
law
club
is
you
do
not
mess
with
the
billable
hour.
That’s
one
takeaway
after
Millersville
city
attorney
Bryant
Kroll
made
a
show
of
walking
off
the
job
when
his
clients
voted
to
slash
his
pay.
And
you
thought
your
bonus
situation
was
bad!
“I’ll
just
add
that
the
law
has
a
term
for
this
—
it’s
called
breach
of
contract
and
inducement
to
breach
of
contract,”
Kroll
said
after
the
proposed
pay
cut.
“I’m
going
to
go
ahead
and
tender
my
resignation.”
Now,
it’s
worth
noting
that
the
city’s
decision
to
cut
$185/hour
didn’t
strike
completely
out
of
the
blue.
The
town’s
legal
bills
have
“had
tripled
since
Kroll
was
hired
at
the
beginning
of
the
year
—
from
about
$32,000
a
year
to
$100,000”
in
part
because
the
commission
had
never
voted
to
approve
the
$200/hour
fee.
Williams
and
NewsChannel
5
have
kept
tabs
on
Kroll’s
(mis)adventures
for
awhile
now
which
involved
what
some
might
consider
a
plethora
of
conflicts.
He
also
represents
Mayor
Tommy
Long,
who
faces
accusations
of
misconduct
in
an
ouster
suit.
Plus,
he’s
the
personal
attorney
for
Police
Chief
Bryan
Morris
and
Assistant
Police
Chief
Shawn
Taylor,
representing
them
in
a
lawsuit
against
the
City
of
Ridgetop.
Until
last
night
when
a
trio
of
new
commissioners
were
sworn
in,
the
city’s
leadership
boasted
a
far-right
flavor
resulting
in
the
hiring
of
“QAnon-inspired
conspiracy
theorist”
Taylor
as
assistant
police
chief.
The
Tennessee
Bureau
of
Investigation
have
raided
both
the
Millersville
police
headquarters
and
Taylor’s
personal
residence.
And
Kroll
didn’t
just
represent
Taylor:
In
addition,
Kroll
now
admits
he
used
his
old
law
firm’s
accounts
to
generate
research
reports
that
have
fueled
some
of
Shawn
Taylor’s
bizarre
conspiracy
theories
—
even
as
Kroll
encouraged
the
Millersville
Board
of
Commissioners
not
to
hold
a
special
meeting
to
investigate
the
city’s
so-called
conspiracy
cop.
Gives
new
meaning
to
“.7
hours
—
Research”
right?
Speaking
of
research,
Kroll
might
have
benefitted
from
a
little
more
on
the
breach
of
contract
claim
he
foreshadowed:
Yet,
if
he
wants
to
claim
that
the
board
broke
his
contract,
he
may
have
made
a
tactical
mistake.“He
should
have
waited
until
we
passed
the
motion,”
Darnall
later
said.
“He
quit,
and
the
motion
was
withdrawn
—
so
we
never
changed
his
pay.”
Oops.
Hints
of
drama,
yet
hope
for
future
as
new
city
commission
takes
reins
in
Millersville,
Tennessee
[NewsChannel
5]
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
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