AP: Judge dismisses anthrax libel case against NY Times

[Eugene]

Judge dismisses anthrax libel case against NY Times
By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press Writer

January 12, 2007, 6:25 PM EST
McLEAN, Va. -- A federal judge on Friday dismissed a libel lawsuit filed against
The New York Times by a former Army scientist once identified as a person of
interest in the 2001 anthrax attacks.

U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton in Alexandria dismissed the case a week after
lawyers for the Times argued that Steven Hatfill should be considered a public
figure under libel law, which makes it much more difficult for a public figure
to win a judgment than a private citizen.

The judge did not explain his ruling in the order issued Friday.

Hatfill had claimed that a series of columns falsely implicated him as the culprit
in the anthrax attacks.

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Full article: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--anthrax-hatfill0112jan12,0,1835152.story