CHARLESTON A federal lawsuit against top education officials alleging they tried to get a lobbyist fired has been settled and the lawsuit dismissed.
Jason Webb, a longtime lobbyist, alleged in the lawsuit that former State Superintendent Steven Paine called officials for ACT Inc., one of Webb s clients, several times in 2018 and 2019 and threatened to stop doing business with ACT if it did not fire Webb.
“It is our understanding that the recommendation to settle was made for reasons of economic efficiency and is not an admission of liability,” the department said in a statement, WV MetroNews reported. The department denied the claims Webb made.