Hamilton County's last court battle with a private riverfront land owner has been settled.
Lawyers for Caruso Inc. and Hamilton County reached a tentative settlement agreement Friday. But Judge Ralph Winkler of Hamilton County Common Pleas Court told both sides not to discuss terms of the settlement until it is final.
''Both sides probably are not happy, but then are happy, too, to have it over with,'' Kevin Caruso, chief executive officer for Caruso Inc., said Tuesday. ''I don't have any animosity toward the commissioners or anything. I think they finally just understood our position.''
Andrew Patton, an attorney for the county, said the settlement is still tentative until some details are resolved. The commissioners must approve the deal, which could happen this morning, he said. ''It's basically a done deal,'' Mr. Patton said.
The produce company's case was the last disputed court case the county had to acquire land needed for the Bengals stadium.
Lawyers continue to negotiate with property owners to buy land for the Bengals' three riverfront practice fields, Mr. Patton said. But the county doesn't need that land as quickly, he said. The county originally offered Caruso $1.4 million for its property at the southwest corner of Plum Street and Pete Rose Way. Caruso had asked the county for as much as $12.3 million.
The county sued three other riverfront property owners, and those cases were settled by juries. In each case, the jury awarded more than the county had offered, leading county officials to increase the land budget for the Bengals stadium by $13.5 million.
That did not increase the overall stadium budget, however, because county officials shifted other stadium costs to cover the increase.
