Settlement Agreement

Triumphant in his turf war with the Bucks County commissioners, District Attorney Alan Rubenstein yesterday offered a conciliatory parting shot, courtesy of his high-profile Philadelphia lawyer. Shortly after a judge accepted a settlement agreement, Rubenstein announced yesterday morning that Richard A. Sprague, the lawyer whom the district attorney retained to sue the commissioners for more office space, had decided to waive all fees and costs associated with the battle. "No one is going to pay Mr. Sprague," Rubenstein said.

The Chester County commissioners have settled two lawsuits filed by former employees that will cost taxpayers nearly $93,000. The commissioners unanimously approved the settlements on Tuesday without discussion as part of their weekly finance agenda. "We took the action recommended by our solicitor in both cases," said Commissioners Chairman Colin Hanna. He declined further comment. Cynthia Gates, a former caseworker in the Department of Children, Youth and Families, will be paid $20,715 to settle her claim of improper discharge from her job. Gates, a civil service employee, could not be reached for comment.

Verticalnet Inc., of Malvern, said it had settled a $65 million lawsuit filed in 2004 by Jodek Charitable Trust R.A., an Israeli nonprofit group. Jodek said in a 2004 suit that it lost money on Verticalnet stock as a result of Verticalnet's allegedly delaying the registration of Verticalnet shares and delaying the release of Verticalnet stock from lockups and escrows in connection with its acquisition of Tradeum Inc. in March 2000. To conclude litigation, Verticalnet, which provides supply-chain-management software, has paid $100,000 to Jodek and will seek to have its insurer pay the group the remaining $5.6 million of the parties' settlement agreement.

The board of the embattled Agora Cyber Charter School in Devon has bowed to pressure and, as part of a settlement agreement, resigned en masse. During a special meeting last night, the board also voted to cut all ties with veteran educator Dorothy June Brown, who founded the school in 2005 and owns a management company the board had hired. Brown - who sat quietly at the back of the room and observed while the board, before resigning, approved a series of resolutions cutting her off from a school she had created and had helped run - said in a brief interview that she was "very pleased" with the terms of the settlement.

A children's advocacy group's request that New Jersey's child-welfare system be handed over to a court-appointed receiver is unwarranted and "fundamentally flawed," the state said yesterday. On Dec. 1, Manhattan-based Children's Rights Inc. asked a federal judge to turn over the state's child-welfare system to U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, who takes over the governor's office in January. The organization had accused the state of contempt, saying the current leadership had failed to make adequate progress under a 2003 court settlement mandating an overhaul of its child-welfare system.

The city has agreed to pay $55.2 million to the union that represents its blue-collar workers to settle two lawsuits over the city's contributions to the union's health and welfare fund. The lawsuits, filed by AFSCME District Council 33, contended that the city underpaid the health and welfare fund for the years 1978 to 1982 and from 1984 to 1986. District Council 33, which represents about 12,000 blue-collar workers, earlier won $30 million in a suit that alleged its health and welfare fund was underpaid during the years 1982-84.

An insurer for the Philadelphia Housing Authority has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a sexual-harassment claim against executive director Carl R. Greene, but PHA still faces a host of other controversies. A women's rights group is calling for an investigation of Greene's conduct, and Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R., Iowa) wants to know why Greene is better paid than Mayor Nutter and Gov. Rendell combined. Meanwhile, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is investigating how PHA is using $31 million in stimulus money.

Efforts to settle the dispute between the Tullytown Borough Council and suspended Borough Coordinator Robert Shellenberger have not failed for lack of trying. The council has held several lengthy executive sessions and taken at least two votes on the issue. But officials say the situation is not hopeless. The council has asked its solicitor to examine a settlement agreement offered by Shellenberger's attorney several weeks ago. Shellenberger, 61, a longtime Tullytown official, was suspended without pay from his $43,000-a-year post in July.

The case of Lower Merion school board v. Robert B. Spitzen will cost taxpayers more than $41,000, according to school district billing records. Business manager Scott Shafer said last week that the district had paid $15,184 to the law firm Wisler, Pearlstine, Talone, Craig & Garrity in Norristown and $15,030 to Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis of Philadelphia for work on the case. The district still owes $11,000 to Schnader Harrison. Wisler Pearlstine handles most of the board's legal work.

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office is investigating whether there was a misuse of taxpayers' money in the $165,000 resignation agreement between the Palmyra school board and Superintendent Daniel R. Mastrobuono. Mastrobuono, who has been superintendent for 14 years, will receive the payment as a condition of his resignation, which is effective Nov. 1. Prosecutor Stephen G. Raymond announced yesterday that investigators also were looking into allegations that there was a violation of the state's Sunshine Law when Mastrobuono's surprise resignation was approved by the board Sept.

An insurer for the Philadelphia Housing Authority has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a sexual-harassment claim against executive director Carl R. Greene, but PHA still faces a host of other controversies. A women's rights group is calling for an investigation of Greene's conduct, and Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R., Iowa) wants to know why Greene is better paid than Mayor Nutter and Gov. Rendell combined. Meanwhile, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is investigating how PHA is using $31 million in stimulus money.

The board of the embattled Agora Cyber Charter School in Devon has bowed to pressure and, as part of a settlement agreement, resigned en masse. During a special meeting last night, the board also voted to cut all ties with veteran educator Dorothy June Brown, who founded the school in 2005 and owns a management company the board had hired. Brown - who sat quietly at the back of the room and observed while the board, before resigning, approved a series of resolutions cutting her off from a school she had created and had helped run - said in a brief interview that she was "very pleased" with the terms of the settlement.

Verticalnet Inc., of Malvern, said it had settled a $65 million lawsuit filed in 2004 by Jodek Charitable Trust R.A., an Israeli nonprofit group. Jodek said in a 2004 suit that it lost money on Verticalnet stock as a result of Verticalnet's allegedly delaying the registration of Verticalnet shares and delaying the release of Verticalnet stock from lockups and escrows in connection with its acquisition of Tradeum Inc. in March 2000. To conclude litigation, Verticalnet, which provides supply-chain-management software, has paid $100,000 to Jodek and will seek to have its insurer pay the group the remaining $5.6 million of the parties' settlement agreement.

The attorneys general of Pennsylvania and New Jersey said they would sue the nation's largest tobacco companies if they carry out threats to reduce their state payments, which are due today. Pennsylvania expects to receive $379 million as its annual share of the 1998 tobacco-settlement agreement with 46 states over smoking-related health issues. Should the amounts be cut, the state could lose up to $60 million, Budget Secretary Michael Masch said. "These companies already have a history of mistrust on the part of the public," Masch said last week.

A children's advocacy group's request that New Jersey's child-welfare system be handed over to a court-appointed receiver is unwarranted and "fundamentally flawed," the state said yesterday. On Dec. 1, Manhattan-based Children's Rights Inc. asked a federal judge to turn over the state's child-welfare system to U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, who takes over the governor's office in January. The organization had accused the state of contempt, saying the current leadership had failed to make adequate progress under a 2003 court settlement mandating an overhaul of its child-welfare system.

Triumphant in his turf war with the Bucks County commissioners, District Attorney Alan Rubenstein yesterday offered a conciliatory parting shot, courtesy of his high-profile Philadelphia lawyer. Shortly after a judge accepted a settlement agreement, Rubenstein announced yesterday morning that Richard A. Sprague, the lawyer whom the district attorney retained to sue the commissioners for more office space, had decided to waive all fees and costs associated with the battle. "No one is going to pay Mr. Sprague," Rubenstein said.

A controversial store that sells X-rated fortune cookies, furry love-cuffs and rubber lingerie has agreed to close after almost two years of legal wrangling with the township. Fantasy Gifts, a retail chain that also has stores in Marlton and Turnersville, will close in September under a settlement agreement signed March 30. Township officials had been trying to close the store on Route 73 since it opened in September 1996. They cited an ordinance prohibiting sex-oriented businesses in certain areas.

The Chester County commissioners have settled two lawsuits filed by former employees that will cost taxpayers nearly $93,000. The commissioners unanimously approved the settlements on Tuesday without discussion as part of their weekly finance agenda. "We took the action recommended by our solicitor in both cases," said Commissioners Chairman Colin Hanna. He declined further comment. Cynthia Gates, a former caseworker in the Department of Children, Youth and Families, will be paid $20,715 to settle her claim of improper discharge from her job. Gates, a civil service employee, could not be reached for comment.

At the end of a long and winding day in which professional basketball seemed about to try its hand at labor chaos, the NBA and its players association agreed on a new contract last night. Votes by owners and players are scheduled for tomorrow. The tentative deal was announced by NBA deputy commissioner Russell Granik and Simon Gourdine, the union's executive director. The agreement came hours after lawyers for 17 players, including Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, filed legal papers with the National Labor Relations Board to block the agreement by decertifying the union.