A defamation lawsuit brought by the Chicago Association of Realtors against one of its own members is now over, after the parties agreed to drop the suit.
According a report from the Chicago Tribune, the suit, filed in 2012, stemmed from a dispute between the Chicago Association of Realtors, its chief executive officer, Virginia Downs and Andrea Geller, one of the members of its finance committee, over the group’s financial activities.
From the Chicago Tribune:
Geller, along with other members, had been a vocal critic of the association in the wake of an abrupt change in leadership and also questioned its full-time management and finances.
The group and Downs filed the suit after the internal spat spilled over to a Facebook page, and Geller made, according to the association's attorney, certain statements that "clearly crossed the line."
The association was seeking $50,000 in damages from Geller, but after going through the discovery process, the parties agreed to drop the lawsuit.
The parties issued a joint statement Monday detailing their reasons for abandoning the lawsuit.
“During the course of discovery in the legal action filed by the association, the parties undertook extensive discovery and the association provided extensive and detailed financial records for the association and related entities,” the parties said in a statement.
“The review of these records demonstrated that there was no mismanagement, improprieties, or irregularities, and that any statement or implication to the contrary was not accurate,” the parties continued. “Due to this acknowledgment, the parties have agreed to discontinue the legal action.”
