More than two years after the matter was signed off as closed by the Union County Superior Court, the two civil suits against the municipality filed by George D’Agostino were officially marked as settled after the closed session of the November 5th Mayor & Council meeting.
As reported in Roselle Park News in September of last year, a settlement sum of $90,000 was agreed upon by both parties and was approved by the court.
The first lawsuit, filed in 2010 (UNN-L-1903-10) claim harassment and violations of civil rights in conjunction with a property dispute between George D’Agostino, owner of 293 West Colfax Avenue, and Gilda DeIorio, owner of 301 West Clay Avenue and mother of former Roselle Park Mayor Joseph DeIorio.
The second lawsuit in 2013 (UNN-L-3239-13) had to do with an incident in September of 2012 that had then Mayor Joseph Accardi, along with the then Fourth Ward Councilman Modesto Miranda and the Code Enforcement Officer arriving at Mr. D’Agostino’s property to reportedly question his then wife Mary about the delivery of a car they owned onto his property at 293 West Clay Avenue.
In October of 2011, the Union County Superior Court Judge handling the matter signed off on the settlement. The matter remained a topic of several Roselle Park municipal closed sessions which finally, through the Borough Attorney, stated that the matter had been resolved.
A section in the settlement states that the agreement is not an admission of any wrongdoing or liability by the municipality or any of its agents, employees, or representatives and that the agreement is being entered into solely for the purpose of economic expediency.
No comment was asked of anyone involved in the case since, in line with the Confidential Settlement, all parties are restricting in commenting on the matter other than to state “the claim was settled and the terms of the settlement are confidential’.
The $90,000 sum will have $20,000 being paid by the municipality and the remaining $70,000 paid by Roselle Park’s Insurance, New Jersey Intergovernmental Insurance Fund (NJIIF).
A copy of the settlement is available below: