Curry Loses Another Legal Tussle - John Keane

[jaxlongtimer]

Curry not winning many legal battles.  This one is an outgrowth of his faux pension "reform:"

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2020/10/13/city-jacksonville-would-pay-250-000-settle-john-keane-lawsuit/3640948001/

Emphasis added:

The city of Jacksonville is poised to pay $250,000 to retired Police and Fire Pension Fund administrator John Keane to settle a lawsuit he filed after city attorneys struck down a pension plan created for him and other senior employees, according to legislation filed Tuesday with City Council.

Keane was a lightning rod for criticism during his time as administrator of the Police and Fire Pension Fund because the cost of city-approved pension obligations for police and firefighter retirees was eating up a larger share of the city's budget.

After General Counsel Jason Gabriel issued a legal opinion in 2016 determining the Police and Fire Pension Fund's board had no legal authority to create a special pension plan for the pension fund's employees in 2000, Mayor Lenny Curry ordered a halt to payments to Keane through that plan and put in place a 20 percent reduction in pension checks to Keane.

Keane sued. He argued that the Police and Fire Pension Fund has a binding legal contract with him and he had upheld his end of the agreement by making contributions toward the pension outlined by the senior staff plan.

City attorneys entered into settlement talks with Keane after a judge ruled in his favor in May and the Police and Fire Pension Fund board declined to appeal.

If approved by City Council, the settlement in the bill (2020-629) would require the city to pay $125,000 and the Police and Fire Pension Fund would pay another $125,000.

In addition, Keane's pension going forward would be based on the senior staff plan and its larger pension benefits.

Curry's directive in 2016 had reduced Keane's pension payments as if he had been in the city's General Employee Retirement Plan.