By Scott Carlson-NP Post
LINCOLN, Neb.-A group that advocates for the legalization of medical marijuana in Nebraska has filed a lawsuit against Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner.
In a news release, Nebraska Families for Medical Cannabis said the lawsuit was filed following the Nebraska Supreme Court's removal of the medical marijuana initiative from the 2020 ballot.
The group says it has filed an official complaint with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission against Wagner, alleging that he initiated the lawsuit against the measure that led to the court's ruling.
The complaint alleges that Wagner committed a felony by failing to disclose who paid for his legal fees during the 2020 calendar year.
Nebraska law requires elected officials to disclose any gifts they receive in a calendar year that are valued at more than $100.
Wagner has publicly said he "doesn't know" who paid for the lawsuit.
"Anytime an elected official accepts a gift that is more than $100 in value, they have to report it on a Statement of Financial Interests," said John Cartier, an attorney, and representative for the group.
"If Mr. Wagner knowingly filed a false statement, he is guilty of a Class IV felony. In this case, the payment of Mr. Wagner's legal fees is a gift that must be disclosed under Nebraska election law."
Many Nebraskans are still unhappy about the measure's removal.
"Hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans are still upset about what happened last year. It's not something we are going to forget," said Trish Peterson, the group's Executive Director.
"Mr. Wagner put his name on a lawsuit to thwart the will of the voters and those who want patients to not be treated as criminals. No one is above law, not even him," said Peterson.
The group claims they went through all of the state's requirements to legally have the measure added to the ballot.
"We went above and beyond what we were asked to do, and did it legally," said another representative of the group, Shelley Gillen.
"The families of children and loved ones who are continuing to needlessly suffer deserve to know who paid for this lawsuit. They deserve to know who gutted all of our hard work and stripped away the voices of 196,000 Nebraskans."
More information on the group can be found on their website, HERE.