ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - An attorney for Gov. Larry Hogan has made a "final offer" of $200 million to settle a long-running lawsuit involving Maryland's four historically black colleges.
Robert Scholz, Hogan's chief legal counsel, wrote in a letter to Del. Darryl Barnes on Thursday that the offer would be over a 10-year period, starting in fiscal year 2021.
Scholz wrote that the settlement would remove "the very substantial litigation risk" now faced by plaintiffs in the case.
Earlier this month, an attorney representing the colleges urged lawmakers to settle the 13-year-old lawsuit over disparities in programs for $577 million.
Barnes, who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, told The Baltimore Sun on Thursday that the offer from Hogan was "extremely low and, in my opinion, unacceptable."
