Friday Fireworks. Cafero to Be Deposed in CRRA Lawsuit.

House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero’s deposition in the matter of Tremont Public Affairs v. Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority should not take long this Friday. The litigation involves a lucrative contract for municipal liaison services between CRRA and the law firm Brown Rudnick. Thomas Ritter, a partner at Brown Rudnick, did the CRRA work. Cafero is a contract partner at the firm and close friend to Ritter.

The deposition should be quick because Cafero has long claimed he knows nothing about what goes on between CRRA and Brown Rudnick. There was a time when Cafero maintained he did not know who Brown Rudnick’s lobbying clients were. That always seemed unlikely. Broad statements delivered in the context of politics, however, often become narrower when offered under oath. Emails between Ritter and CRRA officials suggested that the former speaker of the house discussed CRRA board appointments with Cafero.

The lawsuit has been marked by CRRA resisting efforts to disclose documents to the plaintiff. It has gone on as revelations of extravagant compensation to CRRA insiders has buffeted the quasi-public agency that appears destined for demise soon.