Montgomery County is seeking to dismiss lawsuits brought by two former heads of its Public Defender’s Office, arguing it was within its rights to fire the officials over a contentious amicus brief that was highly critical of the county court system’s bail practices.

Last week, the county filed motions to dismiss the cases Beer v. Montgomery County and Hudson v. Montgomery County. The motions contended that former Chief Public Defender Dean Beer and former Deputy Chief Public Defender Keisha Hudson, who were both fired in late February, did not engage in protected speech when filing the amicus brief, and that the entity is immune from liability under the Pennsylvania Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act.