PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson Healthcare commissioners have approved a $550,000 settlement after a closed-door meeting, Commissioner Jill Buhler said Thursday.
She and other commissioners offered few details about what the settlement was for. Buhler called it a “construction settlement,” but said she couldn’t say much more because litigation is pending.
“It is a dispute and it’s in mediation,” she said, adding that a lawsuit hadn’t been filed in court but was pending.
Commissioners unanimously approved the settlement following an hour-long executive session Wednesday evening. They did not discuss details of the settlement publicly and opted not to read aloud what they approved.
No one from the public was present during the vote.
After the closed-door session, the hospital’s chief legal officer, Jon French, cautioned those who participated in the meeting not to talk about the settlement publicly.
“One thing I would say is that … we shouldn’t discuss this outside of this room,” he said. “There will be a formal settlement agreement coming that will just fill these terms in.”
He did not mention a timeline for when the formal settlement agreement would be approved.
French did not return phone calls Thursday.
Commissioners Buhler, Matt Ready and Marie Dressler each declined to provide further details.
“I would not be the person to give you a quote for that,” Ready said. “It’s not something you want to get any detail wrong.”
They each referred the Peninsula Daily News to Jefferson Healthcare CEO Mike Glenn, who did not return several phone calls requesting comment Thursday.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
