Seaside Heights has settled a lawsuit with the company that supplied light fixtures for a boardwalk lighting project, ending a dispute over unpaid bills and lights that sway in the wind.
The borough council approved the settlement in a unanimous 7-0 vote last week. Jewel Electric LLC, of Jersey City, sued the borough on Sept. 18 in Ocean County Superior Court, seeking $387,880 it said it was owed for materials supplied to the borough for its boardwalk lightpole replacement project. The company’s complaint said it supplied the materials between about May 6, 2025, and Aug. 14, 2026, in response to purchase orders from the borough, and totaled the materials at more than $1 million. It said the borough paid all but the $387,880.25.
Vaz said the borough withheld payment after problems with the company’s work.
“We’ve had problems with [the poles] throughout the project and at the very end, we stopped paying them, demanding that they come back and finish the work,” Vaz said.
The complaint accused the borough of breach of contract and of violating New Jersey’s Prompt Payment Act, among other claims. The company also said it filed a municipal mechanic’s lien on Aug. 19 against money the bor...