
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 8, 1993                   TAG: 9310090004
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

COOK LAWSUIT IS SETTLED OUT OF COURT

A lawsuit filed against Giles County Treasurer Rick Cook has been settled out of court, attorneys for both parties said Thursday.

The $250,000 suit, in which Jane Meador Tabor of Pearisburg claimed Cook defamed her by telling a county supervisor that Tabor stole money from a previous employer, had been scheduled to be heard in Giles County Circuit Court Thursday.

Cook, shortly after taking office in February 1992, hired Tabor, then dismissed her before she had worked a day.

Attorneys for both sides - Todd Leeson for Cook and Darrel Tillar representing Tabor - refused to release any details of the settlement.

"It's resolved," Leeson said.

Cook said simply, "I'm just happy to be moving forward."

Tabor, who works in customer service at Leggett in Christiansburg, also declined comment, except to say she "was satisfied by everything."

"I'll continue to work and get on with my life."

In her suit, Tabor claimed that Cook inflicted "emotional distress" with his comments to the supervisor and to the Roanoke Times & World-News.

More than a year ago, a judge threw out the portion of the suit claiming Cook's comments to the newspaper were defamatory, but left the rest of allegations intact.

by CNB