Chafee pleased with judge’s decision to grant jury trial in pension cases

GOV. LINCOLN D. CHAFEE said he is pleased that a Superior Court judge granted the state's request for a jury trial in the pension cases. / PBN FILE PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS
GOV. LINCOLN D. CHAFEE said he is pleased that a Superior Court judge granted the state's request for a jury trial in the pension cases. / PBN FILE PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

(Updated, 11:40 a.m. Wednesday)
NEWPORT – Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee said he is pleased with Judge Sarah Taft-Carter’s decision to grant the state’s request for a jury trial in the pension cases.
“Nevertheless, I continue to hope that settlement discussions will be revisited when the General Assembly returns in January,” he said in a statement.
According to media reports, Taft-Carter earlier today granted a request by the state’s lawyers for a jury trial in the suit, and set an April 20 date for it to start.
She read her decision from the bench Tuesday morning at Newport County Superior Court. The trial date was announced after she discussed the case with lawyers from both sides in closed-door conference, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported.
John A. Tarantino, a lawyer for the state, said, “We are pleased with the ruling. We favored a jury trial in the case and we’re pleased she granted the motion.”

At issue is the legality of Rhode Island lawmakers’ overhaul of the state employee pension system three years ago.
Court-ordered settlement talks between the state and Rhode Island public employees and retirees over cuts in pension benefits broke down earlier this year.
The court case encompasses employee and retiree challenges to the constitutionality of pension changes and benefit cuts in 2009, 2010 and the comprehensive 2011 retirement system overhaul.
Chafee, Governor-elect Gina M. Raimondo, and the state retirement system had been seeking a jury trial over the legality of pension cuts that Raimondo, as treasurer, created.
In a statement released late Tuesday afternoon, J. Michael Downey, president of Rhode Island Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, said “Whether presenting to a judge and/or a jury, Council 94 is confident that our attorneys will present a strong case at trial. Council 94 will continue to advocate for our members’ retirement security.”
A status conference on the case is scheduled for Jan. 13.

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