Settlement reached in lawsuit against former Menlo mayor Settlement reached in lawsuit against former Menlo mayor (February 11, 2004)

A settlement has been reached in a civil lawsuit filed against former Menlo Park Mayor Mary Jo Borak, which sought damages for a 2000 accident in which her car struck a 6-year-old Belle Haven girl, the girl's attorney said.

Ms. Borak has agreed to pay $4,000, said Marjorie Mandanis, the Redwood City-based attorney for the girl, Brenda Sanchez.

"It's a very unfortunate result for a child," she said. Brenda suffered leg injuries in the accident.

Police had investigated the collision and concluded that Ms. Borak was not at fault, but the girl's family sued based on liability due to negligence, claiming that Ms. Borak was distracted while driving because she was using a cell phone, Ms. Mandanis said.

Ms. Borak was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

According to an accident report, Ms. Borak told police she was not using the phone during the collision, but used it to call for help at the scene.

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