A North Carolina court says an employee who embezzled from a construction company can be forced as part of her criminal sentence to reimburse what she stole even after agreeing to repay the company less in an earlier lawsuit settlement, The Associated Press reports.
The June 5 ruling marks the first time that the Court of Appeals has addressed whether a civil settlement agreement containing a release clause can serve as a bar to additional restitution ordered as part of a criminal sentence.
The court ruled that former office manager Tamora Williams must pay the owner of Burlington-based GCF Inc. almost $28,000 as part of her sentence for using the company debit card for about 350 personal purchases, AP reports.
She had previously agreed to pay back $13,500 in a separate civil settlement.