As I've stated in previous postings, I use OPRA to determine how much money is paid by government entities to settle civil suits filed against them. I have put the results of some of the settlements I have found here.
I became aware of nearly all of these settlement agreements through using the PACER system which gives the public a reasonably inexpensive and straightforward way to learn about cases filed in the Federal District Court. Unfortunately, no similar system is in place for the New Jersey Superior Court system, making it much more difficult or expensive to find out about lawsuits filed in state court.
Today, I wrote a letter and submitted a records request to Eugene Farkas, Trial Court Administrator for the Judiciary in Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties. For those who are interested in this topic, the letter is on-line here.
Originally distributed on January 19, 2009