ECONOMY — A 2016 lawsuit filed by an Economy councilwoman against the borough and another council member has been dismissed.
Beaver County Judge Dale Fouse dismissed all allegations by Councilwoman Patricia Skonieczny against the borough and then-council President R.J. Burns in a June 4 ruling.
Skonieczny and Burns did not return calls for comment.
Skonieczny sued the borough and Burns in October 2016 over the removal of prayer from council meetings. She filed numerous amendments to the suit, adding defamation and negligence to the list of accusations she made toward Burns and the borough.
In her complaint, Skonieczny requested a declaration that the borough violated the Sunshine Act by removing an opening prayer from council's agenda, that the court invalidate the removal of prayer and direct the borough to return prayer to the agenda. She also claimed that Burns defamed her character during a public discussion, stating that she engaged in unethical conduct.
According to emails included as evidence in the lawsuit, Burns instructed the borough secretary to remove the “Our Father” from council’s agenda in September 2016. Skonieczny contended that this conversation should have happened at a public meeting, with all of council present, as a matter of council business and that, because it did not, it is a violation of the Sunshine Act.
In his ruling, Fouse denied all of Skonieczny's complaints. Fouse wrote that the "court is satisfied that council 1) had an extensive discussion of the issues, 2) sought input from members of the community, 3) received feedback from legal counsel (borough solicitor) and 4) debated possible alternatives to the prayer for those who felt uncomfortable reciting it. We disagree with (Skonieczny) that the attempt to cure by the borough was defective."
In the lawsuit, Skonieczny also alleged that Burns violated borough policy by instructing a municipal employee not to cite the owners of Northern Lights shopping center. She also accused Burns of defaming her during a council meeting. Fouse did not agree with those allegations in his ruling.
Economy Council meetings have regularly erupted in fights over various issues, including the condition of Northern Lights. Burns, who owns a construction company, has a demolition contract with shopping center owners to demolish a portion of Northern Lights. That situation has caused several public arguments, some of which Skonieczny alleged in her lawsuit were defamatory toward her.
Last October, Borough Manager Randy Kunkle told The Times the lawsuit had cost the borough more than $21,000 in legal fees. Kunkle said that, under the borough’s agreement with its insurance company, the borough is responsible for 15 percent of legal fees up to $100,000. After that, the borough is responsible for all legal fees.