Ben Hall
The former son-in-law of District 5 Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Hall has sued Hall for almost $54,000, alleging that Hall never repaid a loan from 1998.
The Ruidoso News detailed Hall’s latest problems last week. A judge declared a mistrial in the case because a witness was “caught peeking into the courtroom,” the newspaper reported.
From the newspaper:
“Marshall Peebles, Hall’s former son-in-law, is suing Hall for $53,916.83, alleging that he loaned Hall the money in 1998 and Hall never repaid him.
“The lawsuit claims the loan was due to be repaid in 2003. Marshall Peebles filed the lawsuit against Hall in 2009.
“At the time of the loan, Peebles was married to Hall’s daughter Julie. Julie Hall Peebles sued Marshall Peebles for divorce in April 2005. The divorce was granted in November 2009 but Julie Hall Peebles requested the divorce settlement be reopened last month, claiming that the money Ben Hall owes Marshall Peebles was not divided in the divorce and should be divided equally between the parties. Julie Hall Peebles was one of the witnesses waiting outside the courtroom to testify on behalf of Ben Hall.”
A new trial date hasn’t been set.
As I’ve written before, Hall has had lots of money problems. A news release from his Democratic opponent in last year’s election, Bill McCamley (which was posted by someone else in a comment on this site), highlighted those issues:
“ • From 1983-1998 there were 14 tax liens placed on Mr. Hall and his construction company totaling $356,233.89.
“ • 10 of these liens were for failure to pay Federal taxes, and 4 liens were for failure to pay State taxes.
“ … • From 1983-1998, there were 7 liens placed on Mr. Hall by individuals, subcontractors, and the Ruidoso State Bank totaling $112,681.59 for failure to pay for completed contracted services.
“ • Mr. Hall was sued multiple times from 1987-2009, including once for ‘Unpaid Labor,’ twice for ‘Breech of Contract’ and three times for ‘Debt and Money Due.’”
As McCamley pointed out, judgments came down against Hall in at least two cases, and he had to pay money to plaintiffs.