Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly and Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler.

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A Maryland judge has ruled against the Cassilly Administration again, marking the third time a court has found the Harford County Executive in violation of the Maryland Public Information Act, according to the sheriff's office.

The latest decision came down on Monday, Nov. 17, when Circuit Court Judge W. Michel Pierson upheld a January 2025 order from the Public Information Act Compliance Board (PIACB) requiring the release of text messages Cassilly sent to Harford County Council President Patrick Vincenti during an April 16, 2024, public meeting.

The messages were exchanged as the Council voted to approve a $1 million settlement connected to a deputy-involved shooting, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies were cleared of wrongdoing by two Harford County State’s Attorneys and the Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Unit.

Judge Pierson ruled that the text messages are public information, not exempt from Maryland’s disclosure laws, and must be released.

According to the sheriff’s office, the ruling also included a footnote expressing the judge’s dissatisfaction with the Cassilly Administration’s refusal to provide the documents to the PIACB for review. 

Officials called it “ironic” that the same administration that “openly admitted to intercepting a Councilman’s text messages and call information without any legal process” had resisted releasing its own.

Judge Pierson also rejected the administration’s argument that the separation of powers does not apply at the local government level — a claim the sheriff’s office said Cassilly’s team has used in multiple disputes, including allegations involving access to emails and text messages from a member of the legislative branch.

Instead of complying with the PIACB order, the Cassilly Administration fought the decision in court, again citing executive privilege and similar arguments. Judge Pierson found “no legal grounds” to justify withholding the records, the sheriff’s office said.

Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, who submitted the original request for the messages, said the ruling sends a clear message.

“This is now the third time the courts have had to remind the Cassilly Administration that the law applies to them too,” Gahler said. “These repeated violations are not just legal failures; they are a betrayal of public trust. 

"The people of Harford County deserve transparency, not obstruction," he continued. "They deserve leaders who respect the law, not ones who waste taxpayer dollars fighting to keep public records hidden."

"Judge Pierson’s ruling is a clear message: enough is enough.”

Despite the ruling and more than 19 months of delay, the sheriff’s office said the Cassilly Administration still has not released the messages, raising “serious questions about what is being hidden.”

Gahler said the public deserves to know what Cassilly texted Vincenti just minutes before the Council voted on the settlement.

“Your taxpayer dollars were used by County Executive Cassilly to pay out a $1 million settlement to a woman who admittedly purchased a firearm for her estranged husband, who was prohibited from owning or possessing firearms, and then reported to law enforcement that he was in possession of firearms when deputies were forced to take his life,” Gahler concluded. 

“It is important for the public to know what the County Executive was texting to the Council President just minutes before the Council voted to spend tax dollars to payout this frivolous and unnecessary payment.”

Cassilly's Office issued a statement following news of Gahler's release, saying that the county "County agreed to the settlement in this case based on the strong recommendation of our insurance carrier and the guidance of outside legal experts with extensive experience in federal civil litigation who advised the County to accept the settlement."

"This was not about whether the deputies did anything wrong, it was about protecting county taxpayers from extreme and unnecessary financial exposure and shielding our deputies from potential personal liability that could have put their own property at risk," a spokesperson said.

"Sheriff Gahler disagrees with the settlement, but he has no experience in evaluating potential jury verdicts in civil litigation in federal courts in Maryland," PIO Matt Button stated. "He is not at all qualified to offer an opinion on the considerable financial risk such a case presents to his deputies and the taxpayers."

Button added that Gahler "falsely states that the county paid $1 million to settle the lawsuit," but "In fact, the County paid $350,000 and the County’s insurance company paid the balance."

"Had the County not agreed to accept this settlement, the insurance company would no longer have been responsible for paying for the County’s legal defense, and the County would have been liable for any judgment over the settlement amount, potentially tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer liability."

Casilly said he plans to appeal. the ruling.

"I texted the County Council President to urge that discussions about a pending legal matter not take place in an open meeting of the county council," he said. "In all jurisdictions in Maryland, such discussions take place in private and are privileged. It was very irresponsible for the Council President to allow that discussion to take place in public. Continuing that discussion publicly could have jeopardized the county’s legal position, undermined our ability to settle, and potentially exposed county taxpayers to tens of millions of dollars in additional liability."

"Communications between the Executive Branch and Council members regarding the potential settlement of a lawsuit are privileged, and protecting that confidentiality is essential to the effective and responsible operation of county government."