Resident drops lawsuit against West Chester

A West Chester Twp. man and former candidate for township trustee has dropped a lawsuit against the township alleging police misconduct.

Joseph B. Mansour has, over time, made multiple allegations against the township’s police department, including a 2012 lawsuit.

That lawsuit stemmed from a 2007 case that started when Mansour called police to his home and said a neighbor harassed him and his son three times.

Later that year, Mansour was charged with making false alarms, a first degree misdemeanor, after police determined the neighbor to be at work during the time the alleged incident took place. Mansour was found not guilty by a Butler County Area III Court jury in June 2009.

In October 2009, he filed a federal lawsuit alleging police department abused its power when it charged him with the making false alarms crime in 2007, but had the case dismissed in December 2009, saying his work schedule would prevent him from prosecuting the case.

Mansour again filed a lawsuit in 2010, dismissed it later that year, then filed a third lawsuit in November 2012. The township counter sued the next month, citing Mansour as a “vexatious litigator,” a legal term defined by Ohio law as someone who has “habitually, persistently, and without reasonable grounds engaged in vexatious conduct in a civil action or actions.” In the countersuit, the township said Mansour had filed at least 17 separate lawsuits against various defendants, in various courts. That does not include counterclaims that Mansour filed where he was been a defendant.

A settlement agreement signed Dec. 6 by Mansour and Dec. 17 by the township, stipulates that Mansour forever discharges the township and all its employees, agents and elected officials from “any and all liability, claims, demands, charges, complaints, controversies and actions.”

West Chester Twp. officials issued a statement but said they could not answer further questions about the settlement due to confidentiality.

”The settlement requires no payment from or to either party,” said Barb Wilson, the township’s spokeswoman. “An agreement was reached to close the matters in a manner best representing the interests of West Chester and its taxpayers, in addition to disposing of the current litigation, the settlement requires a process to address the credibility of any future complaints or incidents filed by Mr. Mansour.”

According to the settlement agreement, obtained by the Journal-News in a public records request, that process means taking any future complaints or concerns about the township first to the township’s police chief for discussion. Should Mansour not be satisfied with that response, he would agree to take his complaints or concerns to the township administrator, then its board of trustees and, if all else does not satisfy him, a private judge or mediation service.

If the private judge or mediation service determines that Mansour does not have a meritorious lawsuit, then he must bear the cost of that judge or service.

Under the agreement, Mansour dismissed the claims of the case and must pay all court costs involved with it. West Chester Twp., which has no liability for the same, agreed to dismiss its counterclaim.

The settlement also forbids Mansour from discussing any terms of the settlement with any person or entity, including the general public or news media. V

According to the contract, “because damages from improper disclosure are difficult to determine,” any disclosure of the agreement’s details would obligate Mansour to pay the township $10,000 in damages.

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