Florida Anthrax Case – Positive Development
Maureen Stevens came to Schuler, Halvorson & Weisser, P.A. in the summer of 2002, seeking assistance in obtaining answers from the U. S. government and waited almost seven years before they began to unfold. Robert Stevens, her husband, died on October 5, 2001, when he opened an envelope sent to his employer which contained anthrax. Mr. Stevens, age 62 and the father of three children, was a photo editor for the Boca Raton, Florida based American Media International. For more information about the 2001 anthrax attacks, please refer to the ANTHRAXinfo website.
For all these years, the FBI has failed to provide the Stevens’ family with any information at all concerning why Mr. Stevens died and no arrests have been made in the case.
Investigation into the origin of the anthrax in this case had identified the Ames Strain as the type of anthrax that killed Bob Stevens, and further research indicates that this strain originated in U. S. government run labs, with the most likely scenario being the USAMRIID lab at Ft. Detrick, Maryland. A former employee from a U. S. government lab conducting research on anthrax stated: “…7-11 had better inventory controls than the labs handling the deadly anthrax.” Still yet another official stated there was evidence of concealed work and cover-ups relating to anthrax as far back as 1992.
In a recent press release titled, "U. S. Officials Release Evidence Against Anthrax Scientist Bruce Ivins," the Federal Bureau of Investigation has informed Maureen Stevens that their investigation has proven that Bruce Ivins was the person responsible for the anthrax deaths in 2001, when this deadly substance was sent through the mail.
The FBI has stated that Bruce Ivins was the lone killer in the anthrax letters case. This is very disturbing, since they also stated that this man had a long standing history of mental instability, which was apparently well known to his supervisors, and yet he was placed in the position of working with anthrax and other toxic and ultra-hazardous substances on a daily basis. As unbelievable as it may seem, Bruce Ivins also participated in the investigation and examined evidence regarding the crimes he is now accused of committing.
Just this past week, in the Palm Beach Post, the Florida Supreme Court answered a question posed to it by a federal appeals court: Does a laboratory that deals in hazardous materials have a duty to avoid their release? The high court has ruled “Yes” in answer to that question and stated as follows: “In the instant case we have no way of knowing whether Stevens will ultimately be able to prove a case against the defendant. However, we have concluded that Stevens’ allegations are sufficient to open the courthouse doors.”
This is a huge hurdle to overcome in this long-lasting battle against the U. S. government. But hopefully soon, after waiting for seven long years, Maureen Stevens and her children will finally have some answers to their questions, and the U. S. government will bring some closure to this family and admit their responsibility in this most horrific of crimes.
