LANCASTER COUNTY — In the latest development in the feud between outgoing District Attorney Craig Stedman and the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court sided with the commissioners in a lawsuit brought against the board by Stedman.
The court ruled in favor of the commissioners’ argument that it was not the proper venue to hear the claims brought by Stedman.
The case was transferred to the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas.
The commissioners issued the following statement in response to the ruling:
“Today the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court remanded Craig Stedman’s lawsuit against the Board of Commissioners to the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas because it was improperly filed by Mr. Stedman. This is essentially a dismissal of the case, however, the Commonwealth Court’s rules require a case that is improperly filed to be remanded to a lower court.
The point of Mr. Stedman’s lawsuit seemed to be to silence those who express legitimate concerns about his decision making. The court’s ruling today remanding his suit is a victory for good government, transparency, and the ideal that citizens own their government. Because a new District Attorney will be sworn in shortly, this decision likely essentially ends Mr. Stedman’s lawsuit.
Although we are concerned by the waste of taxpayer money spent on this litigation, we are very pleased by today’s ruling remanding the case from the Commonwealth Court.
In short, this ruling is another victory for the County, for taxpayers, and for responsible, accountable, transparent government. We are hopeful this is the end of this sad chapter in County government history.”
