The controversy over ousted Honolulu Liquor Commission administrator Wallace Weatherwax erupted publicly again yesterday with the commission chairman sending a letter telling Weatherwax to report to work Monday for a new assignment and his attorney saying that won't happen.

Weatherwax's attorney, Eric Seitz, responding for his client, said the commission is contradicting its own negotiated legal settlement and risking expensive legal action.

Commission Chairman Dennis Enomoto sent a letter to Weatherwax yesterday after Mayor Mufi Hannemann this week repeated his objections to Weatherwax being placed on administrative leave with pay until Oct. 31.

Last week, the commission approved a settlement that allows Weatherwax to retire at the end of October. In exchange, he won't challenge his removal.

Enomoto said the settlement negotiated with Weatherwax allows the agency to move forward with reform after years of scandal — eight former investigators found guilty of racketeering, bribery, extortion and other charges — a city audit blasting the commission for mismanagement; an ongoing FBI investigation and other ethics inquiries.

However, Enomoto said, the commission has since voted unanimously to assign Weatherwax to help clear up the backlog of Liquor Commission cases by working out of corporation counsel offices at the Standard Financial Plaza building. (The corporation counsel is the city's legal staff.)

But Seitz said Weatherwax will not report to do work normally done by someone with less experience.

"That's not what our agreement is," Seitz said. And if the city tries to take action against Weatherwax for not reporting, he will sue all involved, including Hannemann.

"It would end up costing the city a lot of money," Seitz said. "They're not going to be able to trample on him."

Enomoto said the task assigned to Weatherwax is consistent with his skills and experience. But Seitz disagrees, calling the task menial.

"We've acted in good faith," Seitz said. "That's shameful."

The commission oversees nearly 1,400 bars, clubs, restaurants and other businesses that sell liquor. It gets its money — $3.7 million budgeted this year — from the operations that it licenses and from fines paid by those businesses.

Hannemann said Weatherwax must work for his city paycheck and that he's not afraid of Weatherwax's attorney. "I'm not going to be bullied by a hired gun," the mayor said.

Seitz responded: "I think it's just essentially grandstanding, and I think that's unfortunate for a new mayor who has lots of other more important issues to be dealing with."