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Magnolia City Council is set to discuss a third lawsuit tied to allegations against Mayor Matthew “Doc” Dantzer during its May 12 meeting.
Former City Administrator Christopher Whittaker is suing the city and Mayor Matthew “Doc” Dantzer, alleging he was fired after reporting concerns tied to the mayor’s alleged conduct.
Officials will also consider a rezoning request for the proposed Magnolia Square development and canvass election results, documents show.
The details
The new lawsuit was filed April 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas by Whittaker against the city of Magnolia and Dantzer, according to the complaint. Whittaker alleges he was retaliated against and fired after reporting concerns tied to allegations that Dantzer assaulted and sexually harassed City Secretary Christian Gable during an October Texas Municipal League conference in Fort Worth, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit is listed on the May 12 council agenda, where the council is slated to meet in executive session for consultation with the city attorney regarding the case, along with the cases of former Magnolia Human Resources Director Kristy Powell and Gable.
What you need to know
According to the complaint, Whittaker was hired as city administrator in June 2025. The lawsuit states Gable reported the alleged Oct. 29 incident to Powell the next morning, and Powell then reported it to Whittaker.
Whittaker alleges Powell and Gable later submitted written reports requesting whistleblower protection, which Whittaker forwarded to the city attorney, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit states Whittaker later sent letters about the alleged incident to the Texas Rangers, Texas Workforce Commission, Fort Worth Police Department and Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool after he believed the city’s third-party investigation was inadequate.
According to the complaint, Whittaker emailed Dantzer and the council Jan. 27, requesting whistleblower protection tied to what he described as a continued hostile work environment and bullying against Gable. Within three hours, the lawsuit states, Magnolia’s police chief delivered a letter from Dantzer suspending Whittaker with pay.
Whittaker was terminated Jan. 28, according to the complaint.
What this means
Whittaker is bringing claims for First Amendment retaliation against Dantzer, Monell liability against the city and retaliation under the Texas Whistleblower Act, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint alleges Whittaker was fired because of his reports and protected speech. He is seeking damages, attorney’s fees, costs and a jury trial.
The city and Dantzer had not filed a response to the lawsuit as of press time.
How we got here
The lawsuit comes after two other lawsuits were filed against the city and Dantzer by Powell and Gable, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Dantzer was also arrested in April on charges tied to the alleged October incident, as previously reported. At an April 20 special meeting, Magnolia City Council took no action related to Dantzer after council members met in executive session.
Also on the agenda
The council will also consider a rezoning request tied to Magnolia Square, a proposed planned unit development on about 59 acres southwest of FM 1488 and FM 1774 and southeast of FM 1488 and Goodson Road, according to the agenda.
The item would rezone the property from several existing zoning districts—including semi-urban residential, auto-urban commercial, suburban village, neighborhood conservation and town center—to Magnolia Square Planned Unit Development District, per the agenda.
Council is also expected to canvass the May 2 election results.
Stay tuned
The May 12 meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Magnolia City Hall, 18111 Buddy Riley Blvd., Magnolia.
Because the lawsuit discussion is listed for executive session, City Council may discuss the case behind closed doors, but would have to return to open session before taking any formal action.
