Mayor Dave Bing has hired an outside attorney to fight his own Law Department in a Lansing-area courtroom this morning as the battle over Detroit's historic consent agreement takes another dramatic turn.

An attorney from the firm Miller Canfield is expected to be in Ingham County Circuit Court to counter Detroit Corporation Counsel Krystal Crittendon's lawsuit alleging the consent deal is illegal.

The move comes after Bing ordered Crittendon via letter Tuesday to drop the suit, apparently unsuccessfully.

In a letter obtained by The Detroit News, Bing claimed Crittendon exceeded her authority under the city charter and reiterated that the lawsuit puts the city's precarious finances at risk. Fitch Ratings announced Tuesday that it has downgraded the city's bond status, due in part to uncertainty over the lawsuit and its effect on the consent deal.

"By virtue of my authority as Mayor under the 2012 Charter, I am directing you to withdraw the complaint filed by your office," Bing's letter to Crittendon reads. It points to a section in the charter that indicates the mayor must give the corporation counsel approval to pursue legal action on behalf of the city.

"As I have expressed both privately and publicly, I disagree with your opinion."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120613/METRO01/206130363#ixzz1xfo7Rm00