City Settles Lawsuit After 7 Years

After seven years of hearings, depositions and negotiations, the city of Camden (NJ) has settled a lawsuit with the family of a murdered woman by agreeing to pay $1.85 million. Christine Eberle was abducted from a transit station in the city in 2001, an incident witnessed and reported by a passerby. However, Camden police dispatcher Marie Cupparo failed to record the incident or send officers to investigate. Eberle was found dead the next day. Cupparo was suspended and then retired in 2003. The settlement was reached May 28th, and the Camden city council approved the deal last week. The city’s insurance carrier will pay the settlement except for $300,000, city officials noted. The attorneys representing the family were prepared to introduce maps at trial that show the location of every city police car when Eberle was kidnapped–one car was just a block away. The city settled with the Delaware River Port Authority, which operates the transit station, but those terms are confidential. Along the way, various appellate courts ruled on the case, setting several precedents on dispatcher liability limits nationwide.