Former Castle Hills councilwoman Sylvia Gonzalez and the city have agreed to a six-figure settlement following a federal lawsuit that made its way up to the Supreme Court in 2024.

The Supreme Court has ordered a federal appeals court to take a new look at the lawsuit filed by a Texas-based online citizen journalist who said she was wrongly arrested in a case that drew attention from national media organizations and free speech advocates.

A popular San Antonio restaurant was reinspected in Sept. 2024 after inspectors found live pests inside and clean dishes sitting on the floor.

Sylvia Gonzalez alleged the city of Castle Hills had arrested her on a minor charge in retaliation for criticizing the city manager.

The case involving former Castle Hills councilwoman Sandra Gonzalez started five years ago when she was charged with tampering with governmental documents. On Wednesday, it will head to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a former Castle Hills councilwoman who sued city officials following her arrest on a tampering charge after criticizing the city manager.

CASTLE HILLS, Texas – A former Castle Hills councilwoman charged with tampering with government records in July 2019 has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and other officials. The lawsuit filed was filed Tuesday against the City of Castle Hills, Mayor JR Trevino and Police Chief John Siemens. The misdemeanor tampering charge against Gonzalez was dropped after further investigation a month later. The police investigation was in connection with an alleged scheme against City Manager Ryan Rapelye and petition documents. The mayor said the city could not comment on pending litigation.