STANTON : Former Councilman, Mayor Settle Lawsuit

Former City Councilman Edward L. Allen agreed this week to pay $8,000 to settle a defamation lawsuit brought last year by Mayor Sal Sapien.

Allen and Sapien have feuded publicly over several civic issues since Allen lost his bid for reelection in November, 1990. Sapien filed his lawsuit against Allen last year after Allen wrote a letter to the El Monte Union High School District, where Sapien works as an attendance officer, accusing the mayor of taking time off from work to attend Stanton civic functions.

Sapien countered that he took vacation or other authorized time off from his job in El Monte to attend such political functions.

As part of the settlement, Allen signed a letter to Sapien acknowledging that the school district had accounted for all his time off from work and that Sapien had done nothing improper, Sapien said.

Allen said the letter was not a retraction, but only acknowledged that the school district had no complaint with Sapien for his time off from work. Allen said Friday he would have preferred Sapien’s lawsuit going to trial, but that his insurance company insisted he settle rather than go through a lengthy hearing.

The settlement does not end the Allen-Sapien feud. Allen sued the city earlier this year after the council voted in closed session to allow one of Allen’s neighbors to temporarily continue operating a backhoe business from his home. Allen, who is trying to sell his house, said the neighboring business has scared off buyers and he is suing the city for lowered property values.