Exeter government lawsuit updates

With so much tax money being spent, it's a good idea to keep an eye on it

With the highly litigious (and wasteful legal spending) Exeter Township government legal action coming to a head, we thought it a good idea to take a look at what’s happening with the actions they’re taking, and the money of ours that they’re spending.

Let’s dispense with the simplest one first, the issue of Exeter Solicitor Chad Schnee injecting the township needlessly into a Right to Know request. No further action since the reassignment of the issue to Judge James Gavin.

To stay in the same line of thought, the suit that Tasker filed against the Exeter Township School District for wrongful dismissal has a new wrinkle as well. The school district on April 23rd filed a “Motion for Protective Order”, which sounds scary and ominous, but is merely a legal tactic to “limit or prevent the disclosure of certain information or documents in a legal proceeding. A protective order is also known as a confidentiality order.” A legal expert that the Examiner contacted told us that it is to protect “confidential, trade secrets”, things of that nature.

To date, over two months, the school district has paid its attorneys, Fox Rothschild, almost $9,000 in this matter. A hearing on this order is being held on May 31st.

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Back to the township, we have the issue of Exeter Township vs. David Hughes. In this long running case, which has cost the taxpayers more than $26,000 before the most recent filing, the township’s attorney, Joan London of Kozloff Stoudt, has filed a pre-trial statement, in which she reiterates the points made in her intial refiling of the suit that was dismissed by Judge Gavin for being too vague. In his order, Gavin allowed for a more specific filing.

The current update, in holding with Gavin’s instruction, was filed on May 6th. In it, London states the two resolutions against Hughes, which one would assume have no legal meaning, because as stated by a former member, it merely states the thoughts of the board, and has zero legal implications. One can safely assume that London is attempting to cloud the issue with nonsensical verbiage. She also restates the talking point that the board has used that Hughes voluntarily left the June 26th, 2023 meeting, when it is clear to anyone who watched it, that he was escorted out by the police chief on orders from then Chair George Bell. Hughes later returned after the Supervisors called a recess, discussed what they’d just done illegally, and fabricated a new story of him leaving “voluntarily”.

Contained in the verbose, twelve page filing is a list of witnesses, which contains members of the current board, past members of the board, Interim Manager Larry Piersol, Schnee, and Hughes.

In the pre-trial statement of Hughes’ attorney Sally J. Daugherty of Salmon, Richezza, Singer & Turchi of Philadelphia, Daugherty reiterates in a more brief form of three pages, Hughes side of the story. In the concluding paragraph, she states, “ In accordance with Berks County Local Rules of Court Rule 212.3, the parties have met and conferred regarding settlement prior to the conference. Counsel will continue to pursue settlement, if feasible, and will exchange letters setting forth their respective final settlement demand and settlement offer as of the time of the conference.” So settlement talks have taken place. The next step in court takes place on Monday, May 13th at 9 AM, in Courtroom 4A of the Berks County Services Center.

There is no update in the special counsel investigation approved on March 22nd.

****UPDATE****

The Examiner contacted Supervisors Board Chair Jack Piho to see if there was an update concerning the special counsel investigation, and within minutes of publishing the original piece, I got the following via text.
"They ( Stevens & Lee, the law firm hired) have been in contact with the government entity, and the township and other parties have provided documents. No update if further documents are required or next steps.”
The “government entity” is the law enforcement or regulatory agency that has jurisdiction over this issue. None of it is clear, as no information about the investigation has been released.