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Robert Davis suing Detroit for alleged cover-up involving Carmack, Duggan

Published  December 7, 2018 10:34am EST
News
FOX 2 Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The City of Detroit is facing a new lawsuit alleging a cover-up. This time, activist Robert Davis is demanding documents.

Davis claims the city never responded to his request for records. He wants a judge to order the city to make them available Friday.

Michigan's Freedom of Information Act gives government officials five days to respond to requests for records and if they fail to do so, there are consequences.

Davis said he was trying to protect taxpayers when he filed a freedom of information request on November 14. That's the day businessman Robert Carmack rented an electronic billboard to display video that Carmack said shows the mayor going to a suburban home to meet a woman who is not his wife.

FOX 2 :"What does possibly cheating with your spouse have to do with being a corrupt politician?"

Carmack: "Well, if he's cheating on his wife, maybe he's cheating on the people of Detroit. Maybe he's doing things that ain't proper with the city."

Davis said he sent the letter asking for correspondence between Mayor Mike Duggan and the woman. He also requested any records showing whether the woman or nonprofits she works with receive city money.

Davis also requested copies of any contracts between the city and Bill Nowling, a prominent crisis communications specialist, to determine if the city is paying Nowling to represent the woman Duggan allegedly met with.

Nowling said he does work for the woman, but is not paid by the city. The city's law department disputes Davis' claims that it ignored his records request as part of a cover-up, saying:

"Every single FOIA Robert Davis has filed since 2015 was emailed, except the one he claims the city didn't respond to. Bottom line, we never received the FOIA and don't believe Robert Davis ever mailed it. We expect that this lawsuit, like the others, will be dismissed."

While Davis is a long-time government watchdog, his concern for taxpayers is somewhat ironic. In 2014, he admitted to stealing funds from the Highland Park Public schools.