Residents' Lawsuit Is Dismissed

By Ross Kerber, Special to The Inquirer
Posted: April 27, 1991

Gloucester County Superior Court Judge John Holston yesterday threw out a lawsuit by three Washington Township residents who had been trying to stop construction of an office complex along Fries Mill Road.

Holston ruled that the residents did not show that township officials had acted arbitrarily when they rezoned the property to allow the office complex, being built by developer Frank Lauletta.

Three neighbors of the project, Melanie Parvin, Jo Ann Baglini and Eric Pfister, sued the township in July 1989. Lauletta joined the suit on the township's side.

Lauletta's attorney, Jeffrey Baron of Voorhees, said the residents had been given ample opportunity to object to the Zoning Board or the Township Council before the final zoning decision was made.

Lauletta said he hoped yesterday's ruling would ease investors' fears about the project; he said some had been scared off by the suit.

Baglini and Parvin said they had not decided whether to pursue an appeal.

Baglini, Parvin, Pfister and five other residents still face a $10 million libel suit filed by Lauletta in response to their suit against the township. Lauletta contends that the residents acted maliciously in filing their suit and that they had made it difficult for him to sell units at the office project.

Lauletta said yesterday that he would not withdraw his lawsuit because "I have some absolute legal expenses that I'd like to be reimbursed for."

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