School Department Suit Postponed in W. Warwick

WEST WARWICK — Court proceedings for the Caruolo Act lawsuit facing the town have been postponed to Wednesday to allow both parties to negotiate an out-of-court settlement.

The School Department is willing to settle the $1.1-million lawsuit in exchange for a $500,000 payment, plus more than $600,000 from last year that it says it never received from the town, though it was approved by voters as part of the final budget, schools lawyer David Lussier told The Journal earlier this week.

The offer, which was sent to Town Solicitor Timothy Williamson on Thursday, differs slightly from a preliminary version Lussier gave The Journal, but Williamson said he could not elaborate on the details before discussing it with the council.

Since then, the Town Council has scheduled closed meetings followed by public meetings for tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday to allow them flexibility to discuss the settlement.

Acting council president Peter F. Calci said the council expects to meet only once but posted three meetings in case more were necessary.

The School Committee has also scheduled a special closed meeting followed by an open meeting for Tuesday to discuss — and potentially take action — on a settlement of the lawsuit.

The hearing to discuss a motion to dismiss the case will be heard by Judge Edwin J. Gale in Kent County Superior Court.

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