Judge: Detroit mayor must join lawsuit

DETROIT, July 23 (UPI) -- A judge ruled Wednesday that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will have to sign on as a plaintiff in a lawsuit over attempts to toss him out of office.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Robert Ziolkowski said the embattled mayor couldn't be represented by city-retained lawyers unless he is formally attached to the case.

The Detroit News said Kilpatrick agreed after the hearing to become a formal plaintiff in the suit that is aimed at blocking a forfeiture process that would lead to his removal from office.

The plaintiff attorneys had contended that they were representing the citizens of Detroit in the lawsuit and were primarily interested in protecting the integrity of the city charter, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The Detroit City Council launched the forfeiture process over Kilpatrick's alleged role in a whistle-blower scandal that led to the city paying an $8.4 million court settlement.