The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported that the owner of a North Side auto repair shop must accept a settlement, pay his former attorney and vacate his North Side business in three weeks, an Allegheny County judge ruled Sept. 10.
The order, written by Judge Michael E. McCarthy, means William Lieberth Sr. must find a new location for Allegheny Auto Body, the shop his father purchased in 1976 and which Mr. Lieberth, a 56-year-old West Deer resident, planned to pass on to his own son when he retired.
It clears the way for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which is working on a project to expand Route 28, to begin the construction phase that will require the East Ohio Street property currently occupied by Mr. Lieberth, the last property needed for the project.
Judge McCarthy's order enforced a settlement that representatives for PennDOT and Harvey Robins, a former attorney for Mr. Lieberth, said they agreed to in early August. That settlement included a $245,000 payment plus $3,500 in interest, as well as an extension of Mr. Lieberth's move-out date from early August to Oct. 1.
Mr. Lieberth, who fired Mr. Robins Aug. 22, has insisted that he did not agree to the settlement, but today, Judge McCarthy enforced it.
"There can be little real controversy in this matter that an enforceable agreement was reached and must be honored," Judge McCarthy wrote.
He also ordered that PennDOT pay directly to Mr. Robins a fee of $31,565, with the remainder of the settlement sent to Mr. Lieberth.
