Fee-payment talks continue in Whitewood case
Efforts to negotiate the payment of legal fees in the Whitewood lawsuit were ongoing this week.
The federal lawsuit, filed last year by the ACLU of Pennsylvania, resulted in marriage equality throughout Pennsylvania.
Prevailing plaintiffs seek more than $1 million from state and Bucks County officials for legal fees and costs.
“Settlement discussions are confidential under the rules,” said Witold “Vic” Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of PA. “So it would not be appropriate for us to comment on our discussions, other than to confirm that discussions are ongoing,”
U.S. District Judge John E. Jones 3d recently granted an extension until Aug. 28 for plaintiffs to file a formal petition for an award of fees and costs, if private negotiations prove to be unsuccessful.
BEBASHI pays IRS tax lien
BEBASHI Transition to Hope, a local HIV/AIDS agency, has resolved an IRS tax lien totaling $77,718.60.
According to records filed in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court last month, the agency has completely satisfied the lien, which dated back to February 2013.
Last year, Gary Bell, executive director of BEBASHI, acknowledged that the agency has had occasional cash-flow problems.
“BEBASHI, like many other nonprofits, has, at times, encountered challenges that have affected our cash flow,” Bell said, in a Sept. 9 e-mail. “However, as you can see, we have weathered these minor challenges as we will this latest one.”
BEBASHI is located in the Spring Garden section of the city. It was founded in 1985 in response to the increasing incidence of HIV/AIDS in the city’s African-American community.
— Timothy Cwiek
ONO rescheduled again
The monthly Our Night Out, originally scheduled for Aug. 12, will be held Aug. 25.
The LGBT social and networking happy hour will run from 6-8 p.m. at Morgan’s Pier, 221 N. Columbus Blvd. There is no admission fee, and guests can enjoy $3 Yuenglings, $5 sangrias and $7 frozen mixed drinks.
The event, presented in conjunction with Stimulus Philly and Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, was originally postponed due to inclement weather.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1456673437925344/.
— Jen Colletta