San Antonio attorney Martin Phipps speaks to reporters in 2024. Credit: Michael Karlis

Embattled attorney Martin Phipps was released on a $10,000 bond Sunday following his arrest on a charge that he made a terroristic threat against his 16-year-old daughter, the Express-News reports, citing police records and a source familiar with the matter.

San Antonio Police received a complaint Aug. 16 from the young woman alleging that Phipps directed threats toward her that “put her in fear for her life,” according to the daily.

Police arrested Phipps Saturday on a single charge of making a terroristic threat against a family member, the paper further reports. That’s a Class A misdemeanor that carries punishment of up to a year in county jail plus a $4,000 fine.

Phipps, 57, is set to be arraigned Oct. 6 and has been barred from possessing a firearm while out on bond, according to the Express-News.

Phipps’ profile in the San Antonio legal and political communities got a major bump after he helped Bexar County land a $14.5 million settlement in its lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.

However, the attorney has faced significant turmoil since then.

In 2021, SAPD arrested Phipps on accusations he harassed his wife Brenda Vega, who’d previously been his legal assistant. The case was dismissed the following year after Vega relocated to Mexico.

The attorney has also been embroiled in a multiyear court battle over ownership of his River Walk building at 102 9th St.

In August 2024, Phipps filed a city ethics complaint against Councilman Marc Whyte after Whyte allegedly told Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar to go to Phipps’ house after Whyte received concerning warnings about the safety of his children.

The Ethics Board later reprimanded Whyte for the violation.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...