Tentative Agreement To Settle Federal Lawsuit By Former PHA Head Against Agency
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The nasty legal fight between fired Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive Director Carl Greene and the agency is over. They're settling out of court, and will present it to a judge on Monday.
Greene's lawyer, Cliff Haines, says the lawsuit was as much about restoring his client's reputation as it was about getting money:
"The monetary payment from PHA to Carl Greene is $625,000," he said.
READ: Legal Disputes Building After PHA Chief's Firing
PHA Interim Executive director Kelvin Jeremiah acknowledges that PHA had exhausted its insured limit of $1-million in legal fees in the Greene matter. He says "the conduct of the past" is behind them:
"We were concerned about our own reputation. We're actually trying to move forward and turn the page on Greene."
Greene's breach of contract suit sought nearly $750,000. He was fired in 2010 for settling sexual harassment complaints against him without telling the PHA Board (see related story). The agency paid $1-million to settle complaints by four women.
The trial broke for settlement talks earlier this month (see related story), about a week into what was expected to be a three-week trial.
