Falls police union removed from defamation lawsuit

The Falls Township police union and two former leaders have been removed from a defamation lawsuit. This comes after they decided to stop pursuing a $2,300 catering bill from former union leaders Bruce Rhodunda and Steve Lanagan. On March 14, petitions were filed in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas to dismiss the police association and its former presidents from the lawsuits. This was done one day after the union withdrew its small claims suit against Rhodunda and Lanagan regarding an alleged unauthorized catering bill from 2019. Judge Cheryl Austin, overseeing the case, approved the dismissals. The Fairness Center, a non-profit law firm, helped the union and indicated that the case was withdrawn as part of a settlement. Last year, the police association sued Rhodunda and Lanagan, claiming they used union funds improperly for personal expenses. Rhodunda, who was union treasurer from 2011 to 2020, and Langan, who was president from 2015 to 2020, were accused of spending over $2,300 on a funeral reception for Langan's father-in-law. New leadership discovered this expenditure during a financial records review in 2020. No criminal charges have been filed against either man, and the Bucks County District Attorney's Office found no evidence of wrongdoing. Both Rhodunda and Langan are still pursuing their defamation and retaliation lawsuits against the police association, its former leaders, Falls Township, and Chief Nelson Whitney. These lawsuits claim they faced retaliation after reporting misconduct.