Cudahy Officials Reject Councilman’s $97,000 Claim

The Cudahy City Council has rejected a $97,000 claim from one of its members who insists that the city was responsible for legal costs he incurred while serving on a multi-city consortium more than three years ago.

In closed session Monday night, the council rejected the demand by Councilman John O. Robertson, whose lawyer warned that Robertson’s pending lawsuit against the city could cost it at least twice the amount of the claim. Robertson did not vote on the matter.

Robertson contends that Cudahy should have paid all his costs stemming from a 1993 Superior Court case in which he and two other consortium representatives were accused of misusing funds intended for a federally funded job program. He ended up paying the consortium $56,000 and racking up nearly $100,000 more in legal fees.

City Manager Jack Joseph said the city did not specifically authorize Robertson, who led the consortium’s board of directors, to conduct the deals that were at issue in the 1993 court case. He also said that Robertson’s position on the council does not make the city liable for any fraudulent actions he might have taken.

“[The council is] prepared to go to trial on this because they feel that he is not entitled to anything from the city,” Joseph said.

But Robertson, a consulting engineer who has been on the council for 22 years, contends that he was acting on the city’s behalf and that allegations of fraud were never proved. His lawsuit against the city is scheduled to begin in September in Norwalk Superior Court.