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Douglas Bruce, the daddy of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, has spent much of his summer dogged by a legal battle.
He recently appeared in court to face a contempt-of-court citation pertaining to his alleged evasion of a subpoena to answer questions about whether he has anything to do with funding for three tax-slashing measures on the state ballot this fall (recap via BusinessWeek).
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Bruce (pictured) says he was out of town—visiting the birth homes of presidents—when officials attempted to serve him with the subpoena.
“I can produce motel receipts…to prove that I wasn’t here,” says Bruce, a former lawyer who has until now represented himself.
But when the case resumes later this month, Denver attorney David Lane could be by Bruce’s side in Denver District Court, reports The Denver Post. Lane has represented local notables in a bevy of high-profile cases in Colorado, including “Balloon Boy” dad Richard Heene, former University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill, and Timothy Masters, the Fort Collins man who was wrongly jailed for a decade.
Bruce’s case is expected to resume on August 18, but court papers reveal that Lane is anticipated to be in Guantanamo Bay at the time, representing several detainees. Attorney General John Suthers, who is representing Secretary of State Bernie Buescher in the case against Bruce, has objected to any delays or rescheduling of the case.
“By all appearances, Mr. Bruce has made every effort to avoid providing the subpoenaed information,” Suthers’ office says, “and retaining counsel now, over five months after he was first subpoenaed and over three months after the commencement of these proceedings, only further contributes to the delay in resolving this matter.”