Westfall & developer settle 15-year dispute for $6M

WESTFALL — A Sparta, N.J., real estate developer has reached an agreement in his 15-year-old lawsuit against Westfall Township. which, prior to that settlement, once owed him $20 million. Under terms of the agreement signed by a U.S. magistrate Tuesday in Scranton, Westfall Township will pay David Katz $6 million over 20 years. The quarterly payments will come from a tax increase on the 2,500 residents. Township officials were found guilty in 1999 of violating Katz’s civil rights by conspiring to stop him from developing a 730-acre wooded area. The original judgment ballooned to more than $20 million with interest and fees, forcing the township to file for bankruptcy earlier this year.