The United States Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina gave notice today that a civil case involving the owner of a classic car restoration business who is suing the city of Roanoke Rapids and others has been selected for mediation.
The notice gives no further details other than directing the attorneys representing the parties involved to a list of certified mediators for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Mediation is common in these cases and is used to secure the just, speedy and inexpensive resolution of the controversies while preserving the right of all parties to a conventional trial, the Eastern District of North Carolina’s website says. “Mediation is designed to focus the parties' attention on settlement rather than on trial preparation and to provide a structured opportunity for settlement negotiations to take place. Nothing in this process is intended to limit or prevent the parties from engaging in settlement procedures voluntarily at any time.”
The attorney for Vivian Pompliano, the owner of the former Pomp Boys Motors in Roanoke Rapids, did not immediately respond to a request for comment today.
Roanoke Rapids City Attorney Geoffrey Davis said soon after the lawsuit was filed that he was not at liberty to discuss the matter because he previously represented the plaintiff in a civil matter, a fact he said at the time of which he made the city aware.
He did say at the time the city’s insurance carrier was made aware of the lawsuit and an attorney would be selected to represent the city’s interests.
Court records as of this report do not show an attorney of record for the city or any of the other defendants in the case.
According to federal court records, summons were issued last week.
At the heart of the lawsuit is a claim by Pompliano that her business closed because Roanoke Rapids police officers named in the complaint exercised extreme misconduct.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the city of Roanoke Rapids; officers Jamie Lee Hardy, a former officer, Antonio Seward, and Jayme Shelburne in their individual and official capacities; customers Vickie Evans, Dennis Harvey, and Rose Beacham in their individual capacities; and L&R Motor Company.
