Jury to hear case on returning funds

PLUM, Pa. (AP) -- A jury will decide whether a former Plum manager will have to return more than $2,000 to the borough.
Officials of Plum, an Allegheny County community, had asked Denise Herceg Rumbaugh to pay back $2,334 of an $11,000 raise that she received in 2001 because the raise wasn't validated by the council. But Herceg Rumbaugh said Plum officials demanded the money in retaliation for a federal sexual-discrimination suit she filed against the borough.
The lawsuit was dismissed in September.
An arbitration panel in April ruled that Herceq Rumbaugh did not have to pay back the borough, prompting Plum officials to file an appeal.
Herceg Rumbaugh decided not to file a federal lawsuit against the borough. She will take her claim of retaliation to a jury trial March 13 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, her attorney said Thursday.
Plum Council President Clem Barbarino declined to comment.