A badly wounded firefighter and the families of firefighters lost in the 2013 Southwest Inn blaze say they've been living under a cloud of uncertainty and are seeking a formal guarantee the City of Houston won't come after their assets.
At City Council Tuesday it was confirmed, that at some point, the city had in fact placed millions of dollars in liens against the families of the fallen as well as former firefighter Robert Yarborough.
Council member Greg Travis, an attorney, explained such liens are sometimes necessary to prevent injured workers or the heirs of those killed on the job from "double dipping" - that is, collecting insurance proceeds or settlements from both the city and a second responsible party as well.