A settlement has been reached in a three year-old lawsuit accusing East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. of sexually harassing a former town employee. Francine Carbone filed the lawsuit in 2015 claiming she was continually subjected to inappropriate remarks and obscene gestures by Maturo.
In one incident Carbone accused Maturo of exposing himself in front of her.
The case was settled for $175,000 and a lifetime of medical benefits for Carbone and her family.
Maturo’s attorney Hugh Keefe said litigation has been ongoing for sometime in federal and state court. According to Keefe, discussions started a week ago and continued right up to the scheduled trial.
“Most cases do settle on the eve of trial because that’s when the pressure’s on everybody and discussions continued and low and behold a satisfactory settlement to both parties was reached," he told reporters afterward. "I’m not at liberty to disclose the details of the settlement but suffice it to say everybody seemed satisfied."
However, that’s not quite the case according to Carbone’s attorney, Rachel Baird. When asked if her client was satisfied she said no.
"I don’t know in a settlement if anyone’s ever actually satisfied," said Baird. "But she did what was best for her under the circumstances after fighting this battle for almost four years, having to live with the consequences of it for her health and her family and it’s time to move on."
Carbone sued the town and Maturo personally. It’s not clear yet how much East Haven taxpayers will have to pay to fund the settlement.
Over the last few years dozens of motions and requests were filed in the case. Maturo has denied the allegations.
