07/13/2006

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP)- A judge on Wednesday rejected a request by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff to delay a civil suit filed against him by employees of a Jewish school he founded.

The lawsuit was filed two years ago by employees of Eshkol Academy, a Montgomery County school that Abramoff founded in 2001. The school closed its doors in 2004, and teachers at the school say they are owed back pay.

Abramoff's lawyer, Obi Okwumabua, said the lawsuit should be delayed because Abramoff remains a cooperating witness in an ongoing government investigation, and the fact-finding process in a civil lawsuit could touch on sensitive issues in the criminal investigation.

Circuit Court Judge Marielsa Bernard rejected the request, saying that proceedings have already been delayed twice and that other solutions exist to prevent the lawsuit from hampering the criminal investigation.