Centereach Fire District drops lawsuit vs. its former attorney

The Centereach Fire District and its former attorney have agreed to drop a state lawsuit alleging the lawyer overbilled the district for his work on a bond related to a construction project.

In a 2021 lawsuit filed in Suffolk County State Supreme Court, fire district officials had alleged that David Moran overcharged the fire district by $260,000 for his role in securing funding for a $13 million firehouse construction project, Newsday previously reported. Moran denied the allegation.

The district had sought the return of the $260,000 plus an additional $520,000 in punitive damages.

In papers filed last Friday, Centereach fire officials and Moran agreed to discontinue the case "without costs to any party," online court records show.

Moran and his attorney, John Scott Prudenti of Center Moriches, did not respond to requests for comment.

The fire district's lawyer, David Antwork of Merrick, declined to comment.

Moran is also Brookhaven Town's deputy commissioner for public safety and the village attorney for Port Jefferson. His work for the fire district was not related to his town or village jobs.

Centereach hired Moran in 2018 through his private law practice and fired him two years later because of the pay dispute, court records show.

Fire district officials had alleged in court papers that Moran falsely claimed he was owed the equivalent of 2% of a $13 million bond the district had used to finance the project. Moran refused to return the money when fire commissioners questioned the payment, Centereach officials said in the lawsuit.

In his response filed with the court, Moran accused the district of seeking "unjust enrichment" and said the district waited too long before filing the lawsuit.

The bond was taken out to secure funding for firehouse renovations and construction of a new substation. Both projects were subsequently completed, Antwork has previously said.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.