US to pay $2.5M in anthrax lawsuit settlement
Maureen Stevens speaking to the media about the evidence presented to her that shows Army microbiologist Bruce Ivins was the ‘Anthrax Killer’ August 7, 2008 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Her husband Bob Stevens, a photo editor for American Media Inc., was the first fatality on October 5, 2001 in the anthrax mailings. She continues to believe that from the beginning that the crime was done by a United States Government insider, with the access and ability to get the anthrax out of the Fort Detrick lab as a result of poor or non-existent security.
The US agreed to pay $2.5 million to the family of a Florida tabloid photo editor that was killed in the 2001 anthrax attacks, the Associated Press reported.
Photo editor Robert Stevens died on Oct. 5, 2001 when a letter containing anthrax spores was opened at his work. Letters containing the deadly spores were mailed to several other news media offices and four others eventually died and 17 ending up ill.
Steven’s widow Maureen sued the government for the anthrax attack, which the FBI blamed on a lone government scientist who later committed suicide. Maureen will drop all other claims connected to the death and the government will not admitting fault, the AP reported.
After the attacks broke out, the FBI investigated scientist Steven Hatfill for years until he was eventually cleared and sued the government for invasion of privacy that ended in a $5.8 million settlement.
It wasn’t until 2008 that the FBI announced scientist Dr. Bruce Ivins responsible for the attack. The investigation eventually led to Ivin’s killing himself by overdosing on Tylenol and Valium, according to the report.
The FBI said the "Amerithrax" investigation has been one of the largest and most complex in the history of law enforcement.