COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Two lawsuits against the City of Coldwater have been settled.
The Coldwater City Council took formal action on the legal actions Monday night after they discussed the matters for 45 minutes in closed session with City Attorney Amanda O’Boyle.
First off, the Council approved a settlement agreement regarding a gender discrimination federal civil rights lawsuit filed in January of 2024 by former Coldwater Board of Public Utilities employee Jodi Shook Beckhusen.
Beckhusen filed the complaint about 14 months after she was terminated as the Customer Service Manager for the CBPU.
The CBPU, the City of Coldwater and CBPU Director Paul Jakubczak were named as defendants.
The CBPU Board of Directors held an executive session on November 2, 2022 that lasted for almost an hour and 20 minutes concerning what was called a work place complaint from Beckhusen. The closed session was not on the original agenda but was requested by Jakubczak.
After coming out of the closed session, the board voted that the matter be brought to a close and no further action be taken because they felt the allegations had not been substantiated.
On another matter, the City Council approved a settlement with Thompson Construction Company which brings an end to a legal battle over 2023 repaving work.
The legal maneuvering led to 10 parties being involved in the lawsuit which was filed by Thompson in January of 2024 after the company claimed the city withheld money for the work they performed during a local street milling and overlay project.
About $160,000 was withheld from the contract by the city.
Lakeland Asphalt of Battle Creek was hired by the City Council in May of 2024 for the repaving work that city officials felt was not completed properly on Sauk River Drive from Michigan to Sprague, on South Sprague from U.S. 12 to Pearl and Chestnut Run from Bishop Avenue to Northshore Drive.
Terms of the settlements were not revealed during Monday’s City Council meeting.
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