Tuscaloosa City Councilman Pays Owed Taxes, November Charge Dismissed

A charge accusing Tuscaloosa City Councilman Cassius Lanier of failure to pay taxes has been dismissed after he settled financial matters related to the case.

As the Thread first reported, a charge was filed in District Court in November alleging that Lanier "did willfully fail to file and/or pay sales tax" at one of his businesses from February 2022 through July 2022.

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On Wednesday, Lanier provided the Thread with documents showing that Judge James Gentry has dismissed the case on a motion from the state of Alabama and said all payments to the Tax Board have been satisfied.

Lanier is known around Tuscaloosa as an entrepreneur, and is listed on the Alabama secretary of state database as a director, manager or organizer of three businesses including Lanier Automotive on Skyland Boulevard, the Diamond Foundation of Alabama, Inc. and an LLC called Cassius Daily Deals.

In a statement to the Thread, Lanier said the actions he took in 2022 were only in order to get through tough times.

"As a small business owner for many years, I’ve created many jobs and opportunities for coworkers and my family," he said. "As a small business owner, you experience good times and bad times, but through it all you keep your commitments. Today’s order reflects just that in a method that is prescribed by law and utilized by countless businesses annually."