Brownsburg council authorizes $465,000 settlement in wage claim

Town counsel summarized a proposed settlement that the council authorized on Sept. 10. Mr. Scott Kreff told the council the agreement ‘‘is for $465,000 to settle the case, inclusive of all plaintiff's wages, liquidated damages, and fees.’’ Counsel said that breakouts included total back pay of $140,007.01, total liquidated damages of $116,006.94 and plaintiff attorneys' fees of $208,986.04.

Kreff also discussed the town's legal expenses, saying ‘‘On our end, the total legal fees billed on invoices sent from 09/30/2024 to 08/20/2026 is $288,566.12. We also did not charge for time totaling $33,062.98.’’ He noted the settlement would release past wage claims against the Town of Brownsburg, the Brownsburg Fire Territory, Brown Township and Lincoln Township through the date of signing, and that final execution is subject to Fire Territory Executive Board approval and ultimately court approval. After the presentation the council moved, seconded and approved item 11.3 as presented.

Public commenters raised concerns about the amount spent on litigation and asked for an independent review of how the matter was handled; one speaker told the council he could provide data on earlier attempts to resolve the dispute. The council recorded the approval of the settlement but did not discuss further administrative sanctions during the public meeting.