On Friday, in District Court, the city appeared willing to abandon liens, without stipulation. After an inquiry by Channel 2, Alan Bernstein, the Director of communication for the mayor, wrote the following:
"As City Attorney Ron Lewis indicated in court today, there is a deal in progress that may resolve the matter involving the liens the city filed under a previous mayor against the defendants. The defendants are businesses and others sued by the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs are firefighters injured in, and survivors of those killed in, the Southwest Inn fire. In other words, the city never sought money from firefighters and firefighter families. And under Mayor Turner the city never pursued the liens."
On Friday, the deal did not yet have any signed paperwork behind it, but Mary Sullivan considered the matter resolved.