Fulton's $12 Million Gift to Sunland Park Tangled in Consultant Lawsuit

Sunland Park City Hall

El Paso Times — A $1 million contract between the city of Sunland Park and one of its former consultants is at the center of a legal dispute that has accusations flying both directions.
And the outcome, which is pending trial, could possibly cost city taxpayers money — or result in them being reimbursed, to the tune of about half a million dollars.
The owner of the contract, Annette Morales, and her Las Cruces-based company, Medius Inc., sued the city at the start of the year, contending she was owed money for consulting work that went unpaid when the city ended her contract abruptly last fall.

But a twist in the months since now has the city alleging that Morales was the one in the wrong and that it's she who owes the city of Sunland Park nearly a half-million dollars.

Stan Fulton

Morales, in a recent interview, said she was almost relieved when her contract was terminated by the city last year because of a "toxic" work environment and major turmoil at city hall. But the city didn't give proper notice to end the agreement and left an invoice unpaid. She said she's looking forward to a resolution.

"We attempted to try to settle. I don't know if that's going to happen," she said. "I just want this nightmare to end."

Morales was awarded up to a $1 million contract in the first quarter of 2011 to carry out a city infrastructure review and create plan for accommodating a proposed international border crossing between Sunland Park and Juárez, according to court documents.
Payment for Morales' work was set to originate from the Border Crossing Fund, a nearly $12 million donation to the city from racetrack and casino owner Stan Fulton that was meant to benefit the proposed port of entry. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Fulton's $12 Million Gift to Sunland Park Tangled in Consultant Lawsuit