Fla. ruling will help widow’s anthrax lawsuit
Thursday, October 30, 2008
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida Supreme Court ruling will help the widow of an anthrax victim in her lawsuit against the federal government and a private laboratory.
Maureen Stevens claims in the $50 million suit that the government was ultimately responsible for her husband Robert’s 2001 death. He was a photo editor and died after being exposed to anthrax mailed to the Florida office of a supermarket tabloid publisher.
Justices ruled 4-1 Thursday 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 in her federal lawsuit against the government and an Ohio research lab.”