Jewell sues papers,
settles CNN lawsuit
ATLANTA (AP)—Richard Jewell
sued The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
and the college where he once worked
as a security guard on Tuesday, accus
ing them of libeling him in stories
linking him to the Olympic bombing.
Jewell’s lawsuit, which seeks un
specified damages, accuses the news
papers of portraying him as a man
with “a bizarre employment history
and an aberrant personality” who
likely was guilty of placing the bomb.
Those stories quoted Piedmont
College President Ray Cleere as de
scribing Jewell as a “badge-wearing
zealot” who “would write epic police
reports for minor infractions,” the law
suit said.
Lin Wood, a lawyer for Jewell,
called the lawsuit “the first step in
what will be a long and hard-fought
battle against a billion-dollar coipo
ration that tried and convicted Rich
ard Jewell for a crime he did not com
mit.”
journal-constitution puonsner
Roger Kintzel defended his newspa
pers’ coverage of the bombing as “fair,
accurate and responsible.”
“Noticeably lacking is any expla
nation of what is false about what we
reported,” Kintzel said.
The newspapers will fight the law
suit, he said, adding there has been
no discussion of a settlement.
In December, the newspapers re
fused Jewell’s demand to print a re
traction to three stories about him
while he was a suspect.
Meanwhile, Jewell and his mother
settled a complaint against CNN for
an undisclosed amount, according to
a joint statement issued by CNN and
Jewell’s lawyers.
“CNN continues to believe that its
coverage was a fair and accurate re
view of the events that unfolded fol
lowing the Centennial Olympic Park
explosion,” the Atlanta-based network
said in a statement.
Jewell, in an interview Tuesday at
an Atlanta radio station, said he was
“very satisfied” with the CNN settle
ment.
“I’m not doing this just for me... I
want them to think about what they
u
Noticeably lacking
is any explanation
of what is false
about what we
reported. ”
Roger Kintzel
Journal-Constitution publisher
did to me and my mother and my at
torneys,” Jewell said. “I want them to
get the story 100 percent before they
put it out. I’m doing it so this won’t
happen to anybody else.”
Last month, Jewell reached a
settlement with NBC over comments
anchorman Tom Brokaw made on the
air about Jewell shortly after the bomb
ing. The Wall Street Journal reported
the settlement was worth $500,000.
Jewell, 34, was working as a pri
vate security guard inCentennial
Olympic Park when a pipe bomb ex
ploded before daybreak on July 27,
killing one person and injuring more
than 100.
He initially was praised as a hero
for spotting the bomb in the Olympic
park and helping to move people out
of the way before the blast.
Three days after the bombing, an
extra edition of The Atlanta Journal
identified Jewell as a suspect. Jewell
came under intense media scrutiny for
three months, until federal prosecu
tors cleared him in October.
The Journal report linking Jewell
to the bombing was leaked by an FBI
agent and confirmed by unidentified
members of the Atlanta Police Depart
ment, the lawsuit said.
Nine reporters or editors of the
newspapers and officials of Piedmont
College in Demorest also are named
as defendants in the lawsuit.
No one has been charged in the
bombing.
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Garbage man collects jackpot
NEW YORK (AP) — Even
with his $10 million jackpot, Sergio
Martini is still doing a job some
people wouldn-’t do for a million
bucks.
“I’m not the kind of guy to stay
home and do nothing,” the 12-year
New York City garbage man said
Monday morning while working
hatless in 15-degree wind chill dur
ing a shift that started at midnight.
“I feel more energetic now since
winning,” Martini said, tapping
dripping coffee cups out of the bot
tom of a litter basket. “I only have
to work one job now.”
The 50-year-old father of four
came forward to claim his $10.3
million Powerball lottery jackpot
Thursday. He will get about
$370,000 a year for 20 years.
Up until last week, Martini had
worked double shifts for the city
Sanitation Department and drove
ms orotner s taxi to pay tne outs.
He quit the taxi job a day after win
ning the lottery.
But Martini insisted he will stay
on the garbage beat for at least two
and-a-half more years to qualify for
his pension. According to the city,
he makes a base salary of about
$40,000 and a total* of around
$70,000 with overtime.
In the meantime, he said, “I’ve
got to find a hobby or something.”
Martini’s beat includes some of
the most stylish neighborhoods of
his native Manhattan but still is
dangerous. There are rats, chemi
cals, toxins, needles — name the
nastiness of New York City, and
Martini’s handled it. Four New
York City sanitation workers have
been killed on the job since 1992.
“If that were me,” co-worker Joe
Giammarino said, “you’d be doing
that story in the Bahamas.”
“Hawaii,” said Martini’s super
visor, Frederick Orttner.
Along Martini's route, Marinos
Franziskos, manager of the times
Square Deli on 43rd Street, said:
“The guy makes $10 million and
he still wants to work? That’s beau
tiful”
Martini, who commutes more
than 50 miles to work from subur
ban Brewster, said that before he
won the lottery, bills had pushed
him to the brink of bankruptcy. His
7-year-old Suzuki car just turned
201,000 miles, and he banged it up
(Mi a patch of ice driving to work a
day after winning the jackpot.
“We were so poor, so many
things to do, living day by day,” he
said.
Now he is planning to pay off
his bills, buy three new cars from
his 23-year-old car-saleswoman
daughter, and set up trust funds for
her and his three sons, 18-year-old
twins and an 11-year-old.
There is one luxuiy Martini has
in mind: “a real vacation.” It would
be his first in 25 years since he and
wife Elena took their honeymoon
in Italy.
Matt HankyTDN
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Kelson named Omaha attorney Michael
McCormack to die remaining vacancy on the state Supreme Court Tues
day, ensuring Nelson’s influence on the high court.
The governor has appointed five of the seven Supreme Court judges.
On Monday, he appointed law school classmate Kenneth Stephan to
fill the vacancy representing the Lincoln district.
McCormack, 57, is a senior partner at the firm of McCormack,
Cooney, Hillman and Elder, opened by his father and his uncle in 1935.
McCormack himself has been a practicing lawyer for 33 years.
He fills the spot left by Judge David Lanphier, who was expelled
from the court by voters last November for controversial decisions on
second-degree murder and term limits.
Simpson civil trial jury begins deliberations
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — OJ. Simpson’s fate was placed in the
hands of a jury Tuesday after a final theatrical flourish from an attor
ney who waved a wad of bills at the football great and accused him of
cheapening the lives of the victims.
liie panel deliberated two hours before quitting for the night. They
must decide whether Simpson should be held responsible and made to
pay millions for the June 12, 1994, knife slayings of Nicole Brown
Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Simpson was acquitted of the crime of
a year and a half ago.
Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki explained in his jury instructions that
Simpson is not being subjected to double jeopardy: “Even though the
defendant Simpson was acquitted in the criminal case, you can still
End him liable.”
Editor Doug Kouma Sports Editor: Trevor Parks
472-2588 Photo Director: Scott Bruhn
FAX NUMBER: 472-1761
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