Former Long Beach Attorney Settles For $250K From City Council: Atty.

LONG BEACH, NY — The City of Long Beach concluded litigation with Rob Agostisi, the former city attorney.

The city council voted on Tuesday to resolve all litigation with Agostisi and pay him $250,000, according to Agostisi's attorney Rick Ostrove.

The settlement comes after Long Beach sued Agostisi in state court in 2020 over his separate payout. In 2021, Agostisi filed a federal countersuit claiming that Long Beach's case was an act of political retribution.

In November 2023, an appellate court dismissed most of the allegations against Agostisi, Ostrove said.

"This settlement completely exonerates my client, who was the victim of a smear campaign. Their lawsuit was an abuse of the judicial system to achieve purely political goals," Ostrove said. "They should have thought twice before suing my client, and the fact that they are paying him $250,000 speaks for itself."

Agostisi worked for the City of Long Beach from 2006 to 2019, before being acting city manager for six months in 2019.

Last month, Agostisi filed a motion arguing that the City waived the attorney-client privilege, which is now pending.

Patch attempted to get a comment from the Long Beach City Council.

"I am pleased that the City Council majority and City Manager have resolved this very partisan attack from the previous administration," Agostisi said in a statement. "As we all move forward, it is my hope that future administrations and the people of Long Beach will remember the great cost these slanderous attacks have on taxpayers -- not only the millions of dollars in legal fees, but also how it compromises City services."