Exeter BOS ratifies settlement agreement with Hughes
Special meeting held at 8 AM does NOT accept Hughes resignation
The Exeter Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) has ratified the settlement agreement to end the litigation they instigated against board member David Hughes by a 4-0 vote, with Hughes absent. An important distinction is that they did not accept his resignation, as that resignation has not yet been tendered.
A special 8 AM meeting was held Tuesday to ratify the agreement, as well as what was expected to be acceptance of Hughes’ resignation. At the beginning of the meeting, BOS Chair Jack Piho explained that since the resignation hadn’t been received, the wording of the motion would have to be changed to, “Move to ratify and confirm a settlement agreement with David Hughes to resolve all claims each party has or may have against each other, to rescind any previous censures against David Hughes, and to accept the resignation of David Hughes, effective upon the payment of settlement funds into the law office of High Swartz, LLP.” The supposition is that since payment hadn’t been made, no resignation was tendered. The board then voted 4-0 with no discussion to accept the agreement. A monumental moment in Exeter history passed with no commentary whatsoever by the BOS.
Breaking down the motion, “to resolve all claims each party has or may have against each other” may signal that more litigation was in the works, using this lawsuit as its basis. One has to imagine that if there was litigation contemplated, it was Hughes against Exeter, and potentially against individuals involved, for dragging him into court over what was clearly a nothing lawsuit. So nothing that the plaintiffs paid the defendant to end it. The way it usually works is that the defendant pays the plaintiff. Speculation tells us that Hughes must have had the township backed into a corner in their specious lawsuit.
The agreement is “confidential”, but the Examiner has filed a Right to Know request to obtain the agreement. More to come in the days ahead.
