Buckingham Township Supervisor Jon Forest must pay $65,000 and publicly apologize for a flyer he admitted contained fabricated corruption accusations against a local farm and a fellow supervisor, the Bucks County Beacon reported Aug. 24.

Forest issued the written apology on Aug. 10 as part of a defamation lawsuit settlement brought by Chip Froehlich of Froehlich's Farm & Garden Inc. and Brian Stover, a longtime Buckingham resident and farmer. The case, filed in 2024, was settled without going to trial, according to Supervisor Mike Bateman, who spoke to the Beacon's reporter Melinda Rizzo.

The flyer, titled "Update: Froehlich's Illegal Mulching Operation An Unfortunate Political Turn," was mailed to roughly 135 Republican households during the October 2023 election cycle. Forest admitted he created and distributed it. In his apology, he acknowledged falsely accusing Froehlich's Farm of corruption and fabricating conversations that never took place.

Among the false claims: Forest wrote that Bateman attended a hearing to support Froehlich's Farm and offered to defend them in exchange for electoral support. He also claimed Bateman and a Froehlich's Farm representative were overheard saying, "we just have to wait for this election to be over and all of this will go away."

Neither conversation happened.

As part of the settlement, Forest must also mail the corrective apology to the same 135 Republican households that received the original flyer.

Bateman was not a party to the lawsuit but said the flyer was also aimed at discrediting him. The two now serve together on the Board of Supervisors.

"The truth matters, particularly in a small community where words can have a lasting impact on our neighbors and their reputations," Bateman said.

Forest serves as vice chairman of the Board of Supervisors and also holds the elected position of township constable. He has been a Buckingham supervisor since 2006 and co-owns Buckingham Valley Vineyards.

Calls for Forest's resignation from all elected positions are growing on the Buckingham Democrats Facebook page. The group is urging residents to attend the Wednesday, Aug. 26 Board of Supervisors regular business meeting.

The Beacon reported it was unable to reach Forest for comment.

The defamation case is rooted in a broader land-use dispute between Froehlich's Farm and the township over the farm's festivals, mulching and composting operations. In 2024, a judge banned those activities. Judge Richard Lewis of Dauphin County handled the land-use case after every Bucks County judge recused themselves because a Froehlich family member works for the court system.

Buckingham supervisors serve six-year terms on a staggered basis. Whether Forest's situation will appear on the Aug. 26 meeting agenda has not been confirmed.