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SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

Friday, March 29, 2024

Ex-Galveston constable submits motion for summary judgment

Matrenga pat 150x150

GALVESTON - The defendants in a former Galveston County Deputy Constable's sexual harassment lawsuit seek a summary judgment.

In a 66-page motion filed late last month, Galveston County, Galveston County Precinct 7 and ex-Precinct 7 Constable Pam Matranga insist that the county be the sole respondent to James Gist's allegations.

They show Gist naming Matranga "officially is merely duplicative of naming the county" while including the precinct is moot because it does not "enjoy an actual legal existence."

Gist, a League City resident, initiated legal action last year on claims Matranga made unwanted and uninvited sexual advances toward him from May 2011 to late October 2011.

His suit asserts there were approximately 10 instances in which Matranga supposedly tried to seduce him, adding he used a recording device to no avail as Matranga learned about said device and disciplined him.

Court records indicate that Matranga submitted a formal response in early June 2012.

She lost her bid for re-election in the late May 2012 Republican primary to 30-year law enforcement veteran Rick Sharp.

The motion further argues that Gist did not follow his employer's policy to report his complaint to the human resources department, and the county "took no adverse employment action against the plaintiff as a result of a protected activity."

An order from Galveston County 122nd District Court Judge John Ellisor is pending.

Case No. 12-CV-1159

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