Warren County reached a settlement on Wednesday with a man who accused the county of ignoring signs that he was being sexually abused nearly 40 years ago by the former elected sheriff Ed Bullock.
The attorney for the county, Jerald Horwath, didn’t comment on the details of the agreement. The plaintiff’s attorneys, Brad and Jeff Russo, said they’ll have to review terms of the settlement before speaking in depth about the trial.
Jeff Russo cried when the trial wrapped.
His brother, Brad, called the settlement bittersweet but said they were happy to help their client see a resolution after more than a decade of legal battles with the county and Bullock’s estate.
“We had to stay back before coming out because (Jeff) was crying,” said Brad Russo. “I haven’t seen my brother cry in years.”
News of the settlement did not sit well with the jury.
Several jurors became visibly upset at the announcement by presiding Judge Michael J. Rogers. Gasps and sobs could be heard from the bench.
“It was a very emotional trial,” said one juror, who identified herself as “Kelly.” She said the jury was on the cusp of delivering its verdict and had spent their morning determining damages for the victim.
The lawsuit accused the county of ignoring signs of Bullock’s sexual abuse of children who were in his custody, including an 11-year-old boy, who was the focus of the case this month. The plaintiff, who was only identified in court papers by the initials “W.M.”, is now 45-years-old.
He said he plans to reveal his identity in the coming days.
As sheriff from 1982 to 1991, Bullock oversaw prisoner transfers and regularly broke protocol by driving young boys as young as 9-years-old, alone, court papers say. The lawsuit alleges those drives are where Bullock raped the boys.
Bullock died in 2015 at age 86, after criminal charges connected to one of the boys’ abuse allegations ended in a mistrial. Bullock died before he could be retried.
It’s unclear how W.M.’s case will influence the county’s approach to other cases that also allege that the county ignored signs that Bullock abused the young boys while they were in county custody.
The Russos represent two other accusers of Bullock, identified by the initials “A.R.” and “C.C.” No date is set for the cases yet.
A fourth accuser named Jack Jeffress is being represented by a New York law firm.
READ MORE: ‘It’s frustrating.’ Settlement pre-empts jury verdict in Warren County abuse lawsuit.
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Glenn Epps can be reached at gepps@lehighvalleylive.com or glenn_epps_ on Twitter.
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