10/13/2026
There was a Negligence suit filed on October 1st against Colter Thornburg, naming Grady County RWD3 and J. Does 1-5 as additional defendants. The lawsuit should have been an item on the agenda this month. The agenda was taken down because they scheduled the meeting for a federal holiday and I called them on it. The meeting was held on the 15th.
This lawsuit was filed because the RWD denied the Tort Claim. Tort claims expire after 90 days. I bet they thought they could let it ride and weasel their way out of accountability (IMO). I’m sure they didn’t want to pay the deductible on a $375,000 claim against their insurance (IMO). So it’s going to court and the lawyer is demanding a Jury Trial in addition to Punitive Damages IN EXCESS of $75,000 for medical bills and pain/suffering.
✅Civil trials are judged by a preponderance of the evidence.
✅The Plaintiff bears the burden of proof, which he has in abundance.
✅Calling the other defendants J. Does allows the Plaintiff’s lawyer to summon any board member or employee of the RWD, past or present to testify. That includes me. Board liability doesn’t go away after a member leaves the board. Dissolving a board and electing all new members doesn’t remove it either.
✅The RWD lawyer and/or Colter’s private lawyer have to respond with an answer to the petition by October 30.
⚠️I expect the Defendants to not answer to avoid testifying and being cross examined. They don’t want all of this getting in the news and being embarrassed. They have a history of avoiding accountability. Not defending themselves in court could bankrupt the rural water district.
🤔The RWD Secretary was questioned by a concerned citizen after the Bradley town meeting on October 16. “Why is she standing by Colter?” She responded, “Colter is my employee; I have to stand by him.” She ended the conversation with, “everyone has a right to their own opinion,” and left the building.
✅If there is no answer from defense counsel, the plaintiff wins by default and will be awarded damages in whatever amount requested by his lawyer.
✅It’s a jury trial so other witnesses can be summoned to testify during the proceedings.
✅The lawyers will have to share Discovery during the preliminary hearing or make arrangements to share such before the trial begins.
✅There will be a jury selection process that will take up to two weeks.
✅The judge will set a date for opening arguments.
✅The RWD will have to pay Max Harris to travel down here from Tulsa to litigate this. He will bill them for travel expenses, lodging and per diem in addition to his litigation fee and hourly court time.
This lawsuit is going to cost the District every penny it has in savings just for the trial. They can pay the damages and the lawyer fees/court costs in monthly installments. The judge might determine that Colter has to pay the damages or there could be joint liability.
I’ll say this from the brief time I served on the water board, I went on record trying to outsource the Operator position after James fired Colter outside of a meeting. Colter was hired illegally by his mother, unlawfully terminated by James and re-hired illegally by a new board. The evidence shows that I had nothing to do with it. I have evidence showing that I tried to stop him from being hired in the first place and they tried to have me arrested for disrupting an illegal meeting. All of that evidence exonerates me of any wrongdoing.
BUT, it also illustrates how determined the RWD was to hire and retain the employment of a violent felon.
Now, the next time I tell you ignorant mfers running Bradley or the RWD that you can’t do something or you have to something a certain way, you better listen. I actually do know what I’m talking about.
