A federal lawsuit over construction of the Butler County Prison has ended in a settlement.

Butler County Solicitor Julie Graham said an agreement was reached Wednesday night after more than 12 hours of mediation among the county, its former prime contractor, A.G. Cullen of Sharpsburg, and the bonding company, Travelers Casualty and Surety from Hartford, Conn.

The mediation was conducted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Mitchell in Pittsburgh.

Commissioners will vote on the settlement at a public meeting this month.

Each of the parties in the litigation were seeking financial damages in the millions of dollars. Under the terms of the agreement reached Wednesday night, all claims against Butler County will be dropped and the county will pay no claims. Additionally, the county will retain all payments, totaling about $6.5 million, made by the bonding company as well as an additional $229,000 from Travelers for unspecified damages.

Ms. Graham refused to comment on the settlement other than to say the county is "very pleased" with it.

The litigation stemmed from Cullen walking off the prison construction job in December 2007 over scheduling and payment conflicts. The county blamed poor planning by Cullen for the delays. Cullen countered that the county ultimately was at fault.

The $35 million, 512-bed facility opened in July 2009. It was to have been finished in October 2007.

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