Possible settlement reached in lawsuit involving several local municipalities

IRONWOOD – Although the details aren’t available yet, it appears a settlement has been reached in the lawsuit between several local municipalities and their insurance companies over the lost tax money connected to former Ironwood Township Treasurer Jyl Olson-DeRosso’s embezzlement case.  During The supervisor’s report at Monday’s Ironwood Township board of trustees meeting, Township Supervisor Jim Simmons said the sides have reached a settlement, but he couldn’t release the specifics yet.  As the Details are currently being worked out and more information will be available sometime in the next two weeks.  The lawsuit, which was filed in the fall of 2019, involves several plaintiffs and seeks over $1.4 million in damages from the Michigan Township Participating Plan and U.S. Specialty Insurance Company.  The plaintiffs argue in their filing that the Michigan Township Participating Plan and U.S. Specialty Insurance Company provided seven bonds between the 2013 and 2016 to secure DeRosso’s collection and payment of tax money and the performance of her duties, which she failed to do by embezzling funds.  Olson-DeRosso pleaded guilty or no contest to all 10 counts she was charged with in March 2018. The charges against her stem from 2011 to November 2016, when Olson-DeRosso lost her re-election bid to current treasurer Maria Graser and was sentenced to 38 months in prison for the most serious charge she faced embezzlement by a public official and concurrent sentences ranging between 11 and 23 months on each of the other charges in May 2018.