Former Corsicana Councilmember Sues City, Alleging Retaliation That Drove Him From Office

Will Jones joined the Corsicana City Council in May 2024, two months after his brother, Deantae Parks, was killed in Corsicana. Over the next year he asked questions: as a brother, about the investigation into the killing, and as a councilmember, about City spending and public safety. A federal lawsuit filed by GFA LAW, PLLC alleges that City leaders answered those questions with retaliation that ultimately drove him from office.

According to the complaint, Mr. Jones's requests for records about his brother's case and about local gun violence were delayed, restarted, and answered only in part, even after the Texas Attorney General ruled in March 2025 that the homicide records had to be released with redactions. Another councilmember, the complaint says, received comparable records promptly. The complaint also alleges that an email from one of Mr. Jones's constituents was used against him at a public council meeting, and that police personnel were told not to cooperate with him.

Then came the demand for his phone. On May 29, 2025, the same day Mr. Jones proposed a countywide law-enforcement task force, the Texas Municipal Police Association filed a public-information request for communications on his privately owned phone. The complaint alleges that City officials helped move that request forward. The phone held family messages, business records, and conversations with lawyers, including communications about his brother's case. The request was withdrawn four days after Mr. Jones resigned, and three weeks later the Attorney General determined that the material was not public information at all.

The complaint alleges that the mounting pressure took a serious toll on Mr. Jones's health, and that he stepped down in July 2025 on the advice of his medical provider.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Dallas, names the City of Corsicana, former Mayor Michael Fletcher, City Attorney Kerri Anderson Donica, City Manager James Holgersson, and former Police Chief Robert Johnson. It asks a jury to decide whether Mr. Jones's constitutional rights were violated and to award damages. The allegations have not yet been tested in court.

Speaking up and asking for records is how citizens hold their government accountable. The First Amendment protects Will Jones's right to do both, and this lawsuit asks a federal court to enforce it.

Ryan James Franceschina, Managing Partner