Attorney refuses to work with Town of Quartzsite

Local attorney Matt Newman is apparently refusing to do further business with the Town of Quartzsite, “at any hourly rate”, calling the current administration “tainted.”

This comes after Public Defender Michael Frame refused to work on cases involving the Town’s Attorney Martin Brannan, citing conflicts of interest and what he believes are politically-motivated actions against his clients by Brannan and the Town.

Newman adds his voice to this dissent in a Refusal of Appointment, saying:

It is my belief that the current administration of the Town has created an inherent conflict of interest by appointing the Town Prosecutor as the Town Attorney and Town Parliamentarian. It is also my belief that the current administration is specifically targeting certain individuals for prosecution due to their political views.

As it is impossible to know in each particular case if the defendant may be one of those individuals, I do not desire to represent appointed clients at this time.

Upon information and belief, the current Public Defender is not being paid for his services, and I cannot in good faith enter into any agreement with an administration as tainted as the current one.

A copy of his refusal was copied to Quartzsite Town Manager Alex Taft.