Local News in Brief : Ex-Councilman Files Suit

Former Duarte City Councilman James Coughlin has filed a $1-million lawsuit against the city, charging that his colleagues duped him into resigning from the council to become city attorney but never intended to let him keep that job.

Coughlin, 61, had served on the council for 19 years before he resigned in April. He was named city attorney at the end of May but was ousted one month later. At the time, council members refused to say why Coughlin was dropped as city attorney.

Councilman John Hitt, the only one of the city officials named in the suit who would comment, said the suit “has no merit whatsoever.”