THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER PETER F. VALLONE JR.
For Immediate Release April 10th, 2013
Contact: Michael Pantelidis
718-274-4500
917-881-8757
VALLONE CALLS FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY ON LAWSUIT SETTLEMENTS INVOLVING TAXPAYER MONEY
On April 9th, Council Member Peter F. Vallone Jr. introduced legislation which would require the Corporation Counsel to submit quarterly reports to the City Council on all settlements paid out as part of lawsuits against the City.
The reports would specify the number of settlement agreements in the quarter, as well as the dollar amount of each settlement.
Vallone has repeatedly called for greater transparency – considering settlements are paid with taxpayer money – and has also urged the City to be less quick to settle lawsuits immediately.
With the amount of money paid out by the City increasing in recent years, the Council Member has called on the City to only settle when it is clearly at fault, and to learn from its errors. A similar policy in Chicago resulted in an immediate drop in lawsuits and payouts. In fact, when Chicago implemented the policy, over 50 percent of plaintiffs “self-dismissed” their lawsuits, which according to Vallone is clear evidence that they were frivolous. While the City has implemented a pilot program of taking more cases to trial, Vallone believes more still has to be done.
The Council Member also previously introduced legislation which would require quarterly reports detailing the number and disposition of civil actions filed against the NYPD. Since that time, the City has implemented a new policy of requiring people who sue the City to sign a confidentiality agreement in order to keep the amount of the settlement secret. Vallone believes it is outrageous to hide the amount of taxpayer money spent from the taxpayers.
“The City often just settles lawsuits without admitting fault, putting up a fight or learning from its mistakes – and the taxpayers pay for it,” said Council Member Vallone. “Seeing as citizens are footing the bill, they have the right to at least see the check.”
