New York
Lawyer questions client's mental competency
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - The lawyer representing a New York man accused of trying to support the Islamic State group says he's concerned about the man's mental competency and received a federal judge's permission for an evaluation.
Attorney Jeremy Schwartz made the request Monday as Arafat Nagi (NAH'-gee) pleaded not guilty to a two-count indictment charging him with attempting to support a terrorist organization. Prosecutors say the United States-born Nagi bought combat gear and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group online and was planning his third trip to Turkey when arrested at his Lackawanna home last month.
Schwartz says concerns about Nagi's mental state have risen during his communications with the unemployed 44-year-old. He declined to elaborate.
Nagi's brother and adult son were in court Monday but declined to comment.
New Jersey
State high court overturns 2011 murder conviction
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - The New Jersey Supreme Court has overturned a man's murder conviction after ruling that his confession that he killed his parents was obtained improperly.
Michael Maltese, of South Brunswick, was convicted in 2011 for killing his parents in 2008, burying their bodies in a shallow grave in central New Jersey and then going on a shopping spree using their money with his girlfriend.
The court said Monday that his statement was inadmissible because it was obtained after police violated his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent after secretly recording a conversation with his uncle.
The Supreme Court ruled that a trial court will have to determine whether the evidence is admissible.
The 26-year-old was convicted of passion provocation manslaughter in the death of his father, Michael J. Maltese, and murder in the killing of his mother, Kathleen Maltese.
Louisiana
BP settlement may not resolve suits filed by 2 universities
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP PLC's $18.7 billion settlement for its 2010 oil spill may not end lawsuits filed by two public university systems against the oil giant, a newspaper reported Sunday.
Since many details are under wraps, it hasn't been clear whether the settlement includes the universities, but the attorney handling the university systems' claims issued a statement last week saying he believes those claims remain open, The New Orleans Advocate reported.
The Louisiana attorney general's office did not respond to requests for comment. BP spokesman Geoff Morrell declined comment.
No public colleges or universities in Mississippi filed claims against BP, according to the Mississippi Attorney General's Office.
The University of West Florida in Pensacola, which has nearly 12,000 students, settled its claims for nearly $178,000, spokeswoman Megan Gonzalez said Friday.
The UL and Southern systems were the only public colleges or universities in Louisiana to sue BP over the disaster. Attorneys for the schools filed the claims in 2013 for lost revenue, property damage and civil and punitive damages.
The University of Louisiana System initially claimed more than $132 million in losses, while the Southern University System pegged its damages at about $99 million.
After further review, the total losses are now estimated to be closer to $274 million.
BP's settlement included up to $1 billion set aside for more than 500 claims filed by local governments along the Gulf Coast.
"As institutions of higher learning, the claims of the two systems are unique from local government and other state claims. These claims remain unresolved," Baton Rouge lawyer Winston DeCuir Sr., who is handling the universities' claims, said in the statement issued last Monday.
Southern, which has more than 15,000 students across five campuses including Baton Rouge and New Orleans, said in its claim that its campuses are located in areas especially hard-hit by the spill. It estimated that the spill cost it nearly 11,000 students.
The 100,000-student University of Louisiana System said five of its eight universities - the University of New Orleans, Nicholls State in Thibodaux, McNeese State in Lake Charles, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond - are in severely affected areas.
The University of New Orleans' claim against BP was initially for almost $124 million, by far the largest part of the total UL claim. The school said enrollment fell after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 but had rebounded until the 2010 oil spill.
"As the economy of New Orleans suffered greatly, the economic hardships of the region were reflected in continually diminished enrollment," according to an economic analysis that accompanied UNO's 2013 filing.
Maryland
Police say shot man had mental health issues
DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. (AP) - Authorities in Maryland say a man fatally shot during a struggle over an officer's gun had mental health issues and had recently expressed suicidal thoughts.
Prince George's County police announced Sunday that Officer Brian Bell is on routine administrative leave while the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Asshams Manley of Forestville is investigated. Police say tests show Manley was under the influence of drugs during the confrontation.
Investigators say Bell was patrolling in District Heights, about 10 miles southeast of Washington, D.C., on Friday night when he followed a man fleeing a crash. Police say when Bell caught up, Manley was shot during a struggle over Bell's gun.
Investigators say despite being shot, Manley continued to fight. A second officer deployed a stun gun and a third restrained him.
Georgia
Family planning to sue after stun gun incident
ATLANTA (AP) - Attorneys for the family of the man who Atlanta-area authorities say died after a police chase that involved a stun gun say the family is planning to sue the DeKalb County Police Department.
Attorney Leighton Moore tells WXIA-TV that officers should have known the danger of shooting 33-year-old Troy Robinson with a stun gun while he was trying to climb an 8-foot wall on Aug. 6. Robinson fell to the ground and died. The family hasn't filed a lawsuit, but attorneys say that is their next step.
Authorities say Robinson had run from officers after the vehicle he was a passenger in was stopped for a tag violation.
Officer Casey Benton has been placed on administrative leave after the incident. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating.
Published: Tue, Aug 18, 2015
