FOLEY, Ala. — The City of Foley has settled a lawsuit out of court with former Police Chief James T. Bryan. That word came Thursday from Bryan’s attorney, Brandy C. Easlick of Valley, Ala.

Tim Bryan came to Foley as police chief in late 2005, succeeding longtime Police Chief James Miller, who had retired. Bryan resigned the position in early 2006 after being placed on administrative leave by then Mayor Tim Russell for allegedly violating city policies and procedures.

Russell, who is currently heads up the State Revenue Department, was one of the individuals named in the lawsuit, which was filed in 2008 by Bryan for alleged defamation and abuse of process.

Attempts to reach Easlick on Thursday morning proved unsuccessful. A spokeswoman in her office said she was in court all day. Also unavailable for comment were Mayor John Koniar of Foley and City Administrator Perry Wilbourne, who were out of town.

The release issued by Easlick said the out of court settlement was for an undisclosed amount. She and Bryan were “very pleased” with the resolution of the lawsuit.

A part of the settlement agreement was that the City of Foley acknowleges that Bryan “resigned in good standing,” the release said.

“This settlement was very satisfactory to my client and allows him to dedicate his full time and attention to his current responsibilities in public service,” Easlick said in the release.

Bryan came to Foley from Valley, where he served as police chief from 2000 until his hiring in Foley. After he resigned his position in Foley, he returned to Valley to serve as city administrator. He still holds that position today.

Bryan’s resignation in early 2006 produced a summer of tension between members of the Foley Police Department and the mayor and council. The city eventually funded an investigation of FPD by an independent investigator. Certain of the findings of that investigation were made known to the public, while some findings have not been released to date. The city has said those latter findings involve the good name and character of certain individuals, and for that reason they remain confidential.

FPD lost a number of officers in the wake of Bryan’s resignation and a couple of senior officers were also placed on administrative leave for a time.