CLEARFIELD – An injunction prohibiting the DuBois City Council from buying out former City Manager John “Herm” Suplizio’s employment contract was made permanent Monday in Clearfield County Court.
Suplizio, was charged in March with various offenses for allegedly stealing up to $620,000, according to the Attorney General’s office who investigated his finances starting in 2014.
The city placed him on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the charges. Plans to do a buyout of his employment contract, or simply terminating him have all presented additional problems for DuBois.
On Aug. 16, the council discussed possibly paying him the amount due according to the contract, which is in effect until March 2025.
Later that month, Jennifer Jackson, Elliot Gelfand and Mike Clement, filed a motion in Clearfield County Court for a preliminary injunction to stop the current city council from buying out Suplizio’s contract and continuing to pay him.
Both Jackson and Gelfand were the winners in the spring primaries due to write-in campaigns and are running for council, unopposed in November.
A temporary injunction was approved by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman on Aug. 25.
A hearing to discuss if the injunction should be made permanent, was held on Aug. 30 with a continuation of testimony on the issue scheduled for Monday, Oct. 23.
On Monday morning, President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman stated that the City of DuBois withdrew their preliminary objections to the injunction on Friday, Oct. 20.
With this development, William A. Shaw Jr., attorney for Suplizio, asked that Suplizio’s objections be dismissed as moot.
The hearing was cancelled and the injunction was made permanent.
At a recent DuBois City meeting, residents urged the current council to save the city money by not continuing their efforts to block the injunction.
Since the original hearing on the injunction, additional charges were filed against Suplizio with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 28 at 10 a.m. before specially presiding Magisterial District Judge Carmine W. Prestia Jr.
To read the article regarding the new charges click here.
