Lawsuit settled against town officials in Englewood Cliffs - NorthJersey.com http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/crime_courts_news/992...

Screen Name Log in Register | Email Alerts Lost Password? Mobile Forums Subscribe Place an Ad Classifieds Legals Garage Sales Jobs Cars Homes Deals!

Search
34.0°F

News Towns Obituaries Sports Health Real Estate Arts & Entertainment Food & Dining Community Events Shopping Travel More Traffic

Home : News : Crime & Courts : Crime & Courts News

Story tools Lawsuit settled against town officials in

Comments: 5
Englewood Cliffs
E-mail this story Monday, July 26, 2010
LAST UPDATED: MONDAY JULY 26, 2010, 11:21 AM
Print this story
Decrease Font Size BY GIOVANNA FABIANO
Increase Font Size THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS — A Republican councilman who sued several borough

0 officials claiming they violated his rights and attempted to prevent him from being
Share elected has been reimbursed for a portion of his legal fees as part of a settlement
Be the
agreement.
Like
first of
your Robert Agresta, who is now
friends
to like
council president, had sued
this. the mayor, the fire chief and
vote
the former deputy police
now
chief.

He also said in a lawsuit, filed

in U.S. District Court in
2008, that Englewood Cliffs
Fire Department Chief
George Drimones and
then-Deputy Police Chief
Michael Cioffi "conspired to
wrongfully discharge" him
from the volunteer Fire
Department. Cioffi, president
of the Fire Department, was
recently named police chief.

According to settlement
papers obtained by The
Record, Agresta was awarded
$42,500 toward the
reimbursement of his
Buy this photo attorney fees and was
reinstated to the Fire
Department as long as he
agreed to simultaneously submit his resignation and "not seek anything further"
from the department. The payment was made by the borough's insurance fund.

Agresta and Mayor Joseph Parisi Jr. declined to comment on the agreement, citing
a press embargo. The settlement contains a stipulation that bars all parties involved
in the lawsuit from discussing the suit publicly, including speaking to the press,
beyond confirming the settlement.

The agreement states that neither the plaintiff nor the defendants admitted to any
wrongdoing, and that the settlement is "purely economic, so as to avoid protracted
litigation and further expenditure of costs and attorneys' fees," according to court
papers.

Agresta had claimed in his lawsuit that he was suspended from the Fire Department
in October 2008, and dismissed after the election. Drimones said at the time that
the department suspended Agresta due to a low call-response rate.

But Agresta claimed the ousting was motivated by politics. The chief is married to

1 of 2 3/27/11 11:34 AM
Lawsuit settled against town officials in Englewood Cliffs - NorthJersey.com http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/crime_courts_news/992...

Agresta's 2008 opponent, former Councilwoman Patricia Drimones, and Agresta

had asked the Attorney General's Office to investigate Fire Department finances.

The lawsuit, which also named a private investigator and a detective for the Bergen
County Prosecutor's Office, alleged that Agresta's rights were violated during an
investigation to determine whether he lived in the borough.

According to the suit, before the election, Parisi sent the superintendent of elections
a report including Agresta's Social Security number, and asked for an investigation
into whether Agresta actually lived in Englewood Cliffs. In doing so, the mayor
"utilized illegal and prohibited procedures in order to develop information
concerning plaintiff, for purely partisan political purposes," the lawsuit stated.

As part of the settlement, Agresta agreed to not seek any further payment from the
defendants.

E-mail: fabiano@northjersey.com

Click here for more news from: Englewood Cliffs

Reader Comments (5)

Reminder: Our comments section is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Please report comments that violate the terms of service.

1. Sunday November 21, 2010, 1:40 AM - ECRO for better Eng Cliff says:
You guys don't know what you are saying. Robert Agresta gave a good fight to clear
his name and thank God he kind of won . What should he has done , give up on
what they did to him ? Bravo Robert keep up the good work. I hope you will run for
Mayor in 2012 .

2. Sunday November 21, 2010, 1:39 AM - ECRO for better Eng Cliff says:
You guys don't know what you are saying. Robert Agresta gave a good fight to clear
his name and thank God he kind of won . What should he has done , give up on
what they did to him ? Bravo Robert keep up the good work. I hope you will run for
Mayor in 2012 .

3. Tuesday July 27, 2010, 10:04 AM - tcsh says:

Interesting how this article comes out several months after this lawsuit was settled,
but less than two weeks after Agresta was raked over the coals for his stupid
comments at the July mayor and council meeting. Can you say spin and damage
control? Also coincidence that Benzel Busch, the company Agresta's brother runs
advertises heavily in the Bergen Record and there is a close familial relationship with
the Borg's, the family that publish the Record. Hmmmmm...

4. Monday July 26, 2010, 3:36 PM - thistle1967 says:

They've been doing it for years someone just pushed back.

5. Monday July 26, 2010, 2:54 PM - tompaine says:

Don't you just love how small town politicians cost us money? The guy's story sound
all so familiar. I guess you'll never know the total cost to the town. Between
settlement money and legal fees you have a sizable bill because of some spiteful
town employees and elected officials that thought they could push someone around.

Share your view:

You have to register before you can post comments or use our advanced features.
User Name:

Password:

Log In

Open Footer/Site Directory

Our Partners: NorthJersey Images | Bergen.com | (201) | (201) Bride | (201) Health | Parade | 1010 WINS | MyFoxNY | My9 | boocoo auctions © 2011 North Jersey Media Group

2 of 2 3/27/11 11:34 AM