County commissioners approve $75K out-of-court settlement
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May 9—The county has reached a $75,000 out-of-court settlement of a civil lawsuit initiated in April 2022 against Crawford County Human Services and related agencies.
On Wednesday, members of Crawford County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the settlement to the law firm of Flaherty, Fardo, Rogel & Amick of Pittsburgh.
Commissioners declined comment to The Meadville Tribune on the matter following Wednesday's vote. Payment will come out of the county's self-insured funds account.
Tribune calls Wednesday to Noah Paul Fardo, who represented the woman and her minor child, weren't returned.
On April 13, 2022, the law firm filed a praecipe for a writ of summons with Crawford County Court of Common Pleas on behalf of the woman and her child who was under age 18 at the time of the filing.
On April 19 of this year, a notice to settle and discontinue with prejudice was filed with the court, meaning the matter may not be refiled.
The praecipe for a writ of summons filing only named Crawford County Human Services, Crawford County Children and Youth Services, and Merakey Pennsylvania as defendants with no details about the nature of the case.
Crawford County Human Services provides services to clients with mental illness; Children and Youth Services, for dependent and neglected children including foster care; and early intervention, which serves children from birth to 3 years of age. Crawford County Human Services serves hundreds of county families annually.
Merakey Pennsylvania is a developmental, behavioral health and education nonprofit provider.
In Pennsylvania, a praecipe for a writ of summons is a document to start a legal action against another party. It's only a notification to a defendant that an action is started, but it does not provide further details.
Once a praecipe for the writ of summons is filed, the party who filed must then file a formal complaint detailing the offense in order to continue legal action.
A praecipe for a writ of summons may be used preserve the statute of limitations while parties finalize negotiations; allow for pre-complaint discovery — exchanging information between the parties about witnesses and evidence they'd present at trial; and other purposes.
Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.
