UPDATE: Mahoning County agrees to $175,000 settlement in 1st Amendment case
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YOUNGSTOWN -- The law firm that represents Ricky Morrison, the fired Mahoning County maintenance worker who sued the county commissioners and their administrator over his termination last year, has announced that the settlement amount in the case was $175,000.
The commissioners reinstated Morrison to his job after Morrison’s lawyers with the Chandra Law Firm of Cleveland wrote a letter threatening to file suit. The firm did file suit a short time later.
On Tuesday, the Chandra Law Firm filed a post on its web site giving the settlement amount.
The lawsuit alleged Morrison was fired for supporting the general-election opponent of Commissioner Carol Rimedio Righetti. The suit made other allegations.
The commissioners -- Righetti, David Ditzler and Anthony Traficanti -- and County Administrator Audrey Tillis reached a tentative settlement in the case June 16, but the terms of the agreement have not been released by the court.
On Monday, Judge Benita Pearson of U.S. District Court approved a stipulated dismissal of the lawsuit, meaning the judge closed the case at the request of the parties.
"The court will retain jurisdiction solely to enforce the settlement," the notice of dismissal states.
When Tillis was asked last week about the settlement, Tillis said she did not know when the commissioners would be approving the payment of the settlement.
This is a breaking news story. Read MORE in Thursday’s VINDICATOR.