Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has agreed not to charge ACORN with violating a state law regarding quotas for registering voters, under an agreement reached in a federal lawsuit today.

The agreement between attorneys for ACORN and Zappala's office drops the district attorney from the lawsuit that challenges a state law barring use of quotas to pay voter registration canvassers.

Under the three-page agreement filed today, Zappala agreed not to charge ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, with violations of the state law it is challenging.

The agreement does not immediately affect pending criminal cases against six former ACORN canvassers.

The former workers were charged not only with violating the quota law but several other state fraud statutes that carry heavier penalties than the quota statute. Those cases are expected to proceed, but the quota charges could be dropped as a result of the settlement.

Witold Walczak, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represents ACORN, said the challenge to the state law would continue. It names state Attorney General Tom Corbett as defendant.

Walczak said the settlement ends the immediate threat of further charges being brought against ACORN under the quota law.

ACORN denies that it paid workers based on a quota system and instead says it paid the workers on an hourly basis, but did expect them to meet certain performance standards.

Zappala was not available for comment.

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