Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Marielsa Bernard on Wednesday rejected a request for a delay in a civil case filed against former lobbyist Jack Abramoff by employees of a yeshiva he founded in 2001.
Thirteen former employees of Eshkol Academy, which closed in 2004, are seeking more than $150,000 in back pay from Abramoff, according to the lawsuit filed a year and a half ago in a Rockville circuit court.
They are also seeking $1 million in punitive damages.
“In the scheme of things, they may seem one of their more modest bilkings,” Mindy Farber, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, said after the ruling.
The case has been delayed twice previously.
Abramoff’s lawyer, Obi Okwumabua, had asked that the case be delayed because he is a cooperating witness in an ongoing government investigation.
She argued that the fact-finding process in the civil case could affect sensitive issues in the criminal investigation.
Abramoff pleaded guilty in January to three criminal felony charges of defrauding American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials.
He has been sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $21 million in restitution.
The AP contributed to this report.
