Pleasant Hills officials have authorized the borough's insurance carrier, St. Paul Travelers, to finalize settlement agreements in two legal cases involving members of the police department.

The settlements save the borough the cost of trials, said solicitor Fred Jug.

The first motion provides a settlement in the amount of $52,500 to Officer Bryan Frankenfield and his wife, Jill, for legal action filed in January which alleged borough officials violated the Whistle Blower Act and took retaliation against the 11-year member of the department following his reports of alleged criminal activity and sexual harassment within the police department.

The lawsuit named the borough, former police Chief Floyd Nevling, Mayor Warren Bourgeois and current police Chief Ed Cunningham as defendants.

The couple had sought compensation and unspecified punitive damages.

No details of that alleged activity was made public.

The second provides for the finalization of terms for a release in two lawsuits filed by Mr. Nevling following his discharge in July 2007.

One involves a motion filed with the EEOC last August alleging age discrimination and the other pertains to his efforts to gain a hearing before the borough's Civil Service Commission to be reinstated as police chief.

Mr. Jug said Monday during a council meeting that the motion is "subject to the parties agreeing on final terms which release and discharge any and all claims against the Borough of Pleasant Hills and associated parties."

He said an agreement with the former police chief could be reached later this week at which time all details would be available.

Since the claims in both Officer Frankenfield's and police Chief Nevling's cases involved federal lawsuits, mediation was a part of the process to try to settle issues before they went to trial.

Mr. Nevling, who attended the meeting, declined to make any public comments, noting he was still under a gag order. He did, however, express optimism that a settlement would be reached.

"The fact that council voted on it could spur things on," he said, adding, "we'll just have to wait and see."