Legal Briefs

RICO lawsuit over 9/11

On November 26 2003, The wife of a victim of the September 11 attacks, Ellen Mariani, filed a lawsuit in federal court under the 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (03-5273). The suit alleges that President Bush and other officials knowingly and willfully failed to act to prevent the murder of her husband, Louis Neil Mariani, who was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. Mrs. Mariani has refused the $1 million in "pay off" money from the government allocated 9/11 compensation fund.

Philip Berg, Mariani's attorney, who is a former deputy attorney general for Pennsylvania, said he plans to call former federal employees with firsthand knowledge and expertise of military intelligence to testify in support of the suit. He alleges that the White House, Pentagon, Justice Department, Federal Aviation Administration, CIA and FBI were negligent in preventing the attacks and now are withholding information about the incidents. "Mrs. Mariani's racketeering suit against Bush is designed to protect and defend the United States Constitution and bring an end to the illegal, international war on terror..."

Richard Manieri, spokesman for the US attorney's office, declined to comment on the case. "We're reviewing the compliant and considering our options," he said.

The suit was published on December 12 in GovExec.com legal briefs, which can be found at www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1203/121203lb.htm. For updates on the status of the lawsuit, go to the Berg website at www.911forthetruth.com. You can also sign a petition and make a contribution in support of the lawsuit.

Rodger Herbst

Apology Ends Refusal to Print Wedding Invitations

The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington recently announced an agreement settling a discrimination complaint filed by a gay man against a Seattle business that refused to print invitations to his wedding with his same-sex partner. Under the agreement, the business owner has apologized for her actions and agreed to abide by Seattle's anti-discrimination law in the future.

"Our nation's commitment to ending discrimination requires businesses to serve all customers equally. Business owners are entitled to their private opinions about same-sex marriage, but discriminatory business practices are not permitted," said ACLU staff attorney Aaron Caplan, who represented the gay man in the case.

In August 2003, Seattle resident Tom Butts contacted Starfish Creative Invitations to hire them to print invitations for his upcoming wedding ceremony with Scott Carter in Vancouver, Canada. Butts liked samples of the company's work he had seen and liked the fact that it was a local business. Starfish, a Seattle company, refused to provide their services because, in the proprietor's words, she believes "homosexuality is wrong" and same-sex weddings are "against her belief system."

The business owner's refusal violated Seattle's Open Housing Public Accommodations Ordinance, which protects an individual's right to purchase products and services without regard to sexual orientation. With legal representation by the ACLU, Butts filed a complaint with Seattle's Office for Civil Rights, the agency that enforces the non-discrimination law.

Under the settlement, the business owner acknowledged that all persons should be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of sexual orientation, and she apologized that actions offended and hurt Butts. She agreed not to violate Seattle's anti-discrimination law in the future. Butts and Carter were married in October 2003.

ACLU of WA