To date, the state has spent at least an estimated $300,000.00 defending former Gov. Robert Bentley, and the meter is still running on the legal tab in the wrongful termination civil suit filed by former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Spencer Collier. There are currently three lawsuits in which Gov. Kay Ivey’s administration is defending Bentley.
In campaign commercials, Gov. Ivey claims she cleaned up Bentley’s mess, but still her administration continues to waste hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect him. Far from putting an end to Bentley’s shameful chapter in state history, the Ivey administration’s lawyers are fighting to preserve Bentley’s image while denying Collier the compensation he deserves.
If Collier’s lawsuit goes to court, the state will not only suffer a humiliating defeat, but Bentley’s abuse of power, his sordid acts of moral turpitude and his arrogance in the face of facts will once again dominate headlines across the state and nation.
Imagine how Bentley’s tale of how he became involved with married aide Rebekah Caldwell Mason will play with a jury and late night talkshow hosts.
“I recognized in Rebekah things that I couldn’t find in Montgomery… Rebekah was one that I could trust; I could totally trust her. I could tell her things that I could not tell anybody else,” recalled Bentley under oath. “So because of the development of the friendship, and I felt safe with her, I felt comfortable with her when we would be together and talk; and, you know, with the closeness that developed, an affection
developed.” Bentley goes on and on, “I may still have not seen her but two or three times a week; but when she would come, you know, she would come. I would embrace her; I would kiss her because we really cared about each other.”
According to Bentley, they still enjoy a special non-sexual love affair while she works for him at his Tuscaloosa clinic where he pays Mason $5,000.00 a month as office manager. Mason is also the beneficiary on his life insurance policy.
Collier’s case revolves around his claim of unlawful termination. Collier was fired from his position at ALEA after he refused Bentley’s order to lie in an affidavit to the court in former House Speaker Mike Hubbard’s trial. After his firing, Bentley’s paramour, Mason and Collier’s replacement, Stan Stabler, launched a smear campaign against him that, with the Ivey administration’s assistance, still exists today.
In a nearly six-hour deposition, Bentley admits to most of the allegations brought by Collier, except he blames Stabler for the dirty deeds.
Along the way, the Ivey administration’s lawyers have sought to smear Collier’s reputation, belittle him in a continuation of Bentley’s terrible legacy of abuse.
Anyone with half a brain realizes that Bentley fired Collier for doing his job. Anyone with half a heart knows what Bentley did was wrong and Collier should be compensated.
Now, why the Ivey administration can’t understand this is beyond comprehension.
Perhaps Gov. Ivey should watch Bentley’s deposition. She’ll be embarrassed, but that’s what’s coming to a courtroom and late night TV shows should the Collier case go to trial.
