FORT WORTH, Texas _ Texas District Judge Wayne Salvant has signed an order asking another judge to decide whether he should be removed from the Ethan Couch case, in response to a motion filed by Couch's attorneys.
The motion to remove Salvant was filed Monday by Couch's attorneys, as was Salvant's order to forward the motion to Jerry Evans, presiding judge of the 8th Administrative Judicial Region.
Couch's attorneys argued in their motion that Salvant's court acted outside its authority when he ordered the teen to spend 720 days in jail as a condition of his probation. Salvant's court did not have jurisdiction over the juvenile case, the motion states.
Couch's attorneys, Reagan Wynn and Scott Brown, also argued that Couch could have a civil wrongful incarceration claim against the court. A potential lawsuit would mean the court would have a financial interest in the outcome of the case _ and therefore should separate from the case, according to the motion.
An assistant for the 8th Administrative Judicial Region said Tuesday afternoon that she had not received a copy of the order.
Couch killed four people in a DWI crash in 2013 and was sentenced to 10 years' probation. During his trial, a psychologist testified that Couch suffered from affluenza _ that his parents' coddling warped his sense of right and wrong.
His case was transferred to the adult court system in April, when he turned 19.
Couch was returned to North Texas from Mexico in January after he skipped a probation appointment and fled the country with his mother.
