The
widow of a Florida tabloid photo editor who was the first of five
people to die in 2001 anthrax attacks has reached a settlement with the
U.S. government in her wrongful death damages lawsuit, according to a
court filing. The October 27th document gave no details of the terms of
the settlement. In her lawsuit originally filed in 2003, Maureen Stevens
had argued that her husband, Robert Stevens, died after being exposed
to anthrax as a result of alleged negligence on the part of the U.S.
government, which she said had failed to safely secure the anthrax
bacillus at a military laboratory. A Justice Department investigation
concluded that a U.S. Army scientist, Dr. Bruce Ivins, committed the
deadly attacks, mailing anthrax-laced letters to media outlets and
government officials in Florida, New York and the Washington area. Ivins
committed suicide in 2008 as prosecutors prepared to charge him with
murder. Robert Stevens was the first of five people to die after one of
the letters was received at the Boca Raton, Florida, building where he
worked as a photo editor at the publisher of the National Enquirer and
other tabloids. Maureen Stevens was demanding $50 million in
compensatory damages in her lawsuit.
