New Jersey group drops lawsuit over Ryan White grants

The Patterson, N.J.-based Ryan White Planning Council has dropped its lawsuit against the Patterson city council after both parties reached an agreement on how federal Ryan White AIDS funds are to be disbursed in Bergen and Passaic counties, Bergen County's The Record reports. The Ryan White group filed the lawsuit after the city council failed to allocate federal AIDS funds to seven local groups that were included in a larger grant issued by the federal government for 23 local AIDS service organizations. The city council declined to approve the seven contracts due to allegations of improper review and bias at the agencies, says the city council's attorney. The lawsuit charged the council with withholding the money without any legal grounds or jurisdiction to do so. The planning council on Monday filed a motion to dismiss the case after the two groups pledged to compromise on the funding issues. Last week superior court judge Robert J. Passero urged both groups to come to an out-of-court settlement because any ensuing trial would likely be lengthy and result in the loss of $4 million in federal funds for the year for AIDS organizations in the two counties.