Fla. ruling will help widow's anthrax lawsuit

Lawyer Blogs

A Florida Supreme Court ruling issued Thursday will help the widow of an anthrax victim make her case that the government was ultimately responsible for her husband's death.

Maureen Stevens' husband, Robert, was a photo editor who was exposed to anthrax mailed to the Boca Raton office of American Media Inc., a supermarket tabloid publisher, in 2001. He was the first of five people killed and 17 others sickened in a series of similar attacks.

Justices ruled 4-1 that the defendants had a duty under Florida law to protect the public against the unauthorized release of lethal materials. It's an important, although preliminary, victory for the widow whose $50 million federal lawsuit also alleges the government and Battelle Memorial Institute, a private laboratory in Columbus, Ohio, were the source of the anthrax.

"We have no way of knowing whether Stevens will ultimately be able to prove a case against the defendants," Justice Harry Lee Anstead wrote in the majority opinion. "However, we concluded that Stevens' allegations are sufficient to open the courthouse doors."

Related listings

  • Feds: Suspect in hoax anthrax scare did it before

    Feds: Suspect in hoax anthrax scare did it before

    Lawyer Blogs 10/30/2008

    A California man suspected of mailing more than 120 hoax anthrax letters to media outlets was interviewed previously by the FBI after one similar mailing in 2007, but he was not charged.Marc M. Keyser, 66, was interviewed by the FBI in January 2007 f...

  • Feds arrest Mass. senator on corruption charges

    Feds arrest Mass. senator on corruption charges

    Lawyer Blogs 10/28/2008

    A state senator who lost the Democratic primary last month was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday and charged with accepting $23,500 in bribes from undercover agents she believed were local businessmen.Sen. Dianne Wilkerson was charged with attempted ext...

  • Condemned Ky. inmate wants to end all appeals

    Condemned Ky. inmate wants to end all appeals

    Lawyer Blogs 10/28/2008

    A Kentucky inmate who has pushed to swiftly be put to death for killing two children said Tuesday he's mentally prepared to die but fears a legal fight could delay his execution."I believe it's finally going to be over. I'm getting myself prepared to...

New Rochelle, New York Personal Injury Lawyers

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP, in New Rochelle, New York, immediately. We can answer all your questions and work with you to determine if you have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. The attorneys at our firm are determined to resolve even the most difficult of cases. We will work closely with you to determine the best course of action to get your claim or case resolved in the most efficient way possible. We will fight for your right to compensation! No one should have to suffer a financial burden from the result of another person’s carelessness. The attorneys at Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP will aggressively fight to ensure that justice is served on your behalf.

Business News

New York & New Jersey Family Law Matters We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights. >> read