The Butler Area School District has settled with its former insurance company regarding legal fees incurred over exposure to lead and copper at one of the district’s elementary schools.
The district’s solicitor Tom King told the school board during a meeting Monday that Liberty Mutual will pay the district $40,000.
A class action lawsuit was filed earlier this year against the district seeking money for students and teachers who were exposed to lead and copper, which were found in the drinking water at Summit Township Elementary School. The school board hired the Pittsburgh law firm of Burns White to defend the district in the suit but Liberty Mutual argued that they were not responsible for paying the district’s legal fees.
The district initially paid about $50,000 out-of-pocket to the law firm.
In June, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit against the district. A judge then also ruled in favor of the district that the insurance company should be responsible for paying the district’s legal fees. Negotiations have been ongoing since August in regard to the money spent by the district litigating against Liberty Mutual.
