High court rejects appeal from subcontractor freed from Cuba

High court rejects appeal from subcontractor freed from Cuba
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
04/06/2015 10:14 AM 04/06/2015 10:14 AM

WASHINGTON
The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from a former government
subcontractor seeking to sue the U.S. government for negligence over his
five-year imprisonment in Cuba.

The justices on Monday let stand a federal appeals court ruling that
threw out Alan Gross' $60 million lawsuit blaming the federal government
for failing to prepare him for the risks of working in Cuba.

Gross was freed in December as the U.S. announced it would re-establish
diplomatic relations with Cuba. He was working as a U.S. Agency for
International Development subcontractor in Cuba when he was arrested in
2009.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled
last year that the U.S. government is immune from claims arising in a
foreign country.

In a separate case, Gross received $3.2 million in December from the
federal government as part of a settlement with the Maryland-based
company he worked for at the time of his arrest.

The USAID said it paid Gross to settle claims pending before the
Civilian Board of Contract Appeals for unanticipated claims under a
cost-reimbursement contract with Development Alternatives Inc. of
Bethesda, Maryland.

The USAID said the settlement was not an admission of liability, but was
intended to avoid the costs and risks of further legal proceedings.

Source: High court rejects appeal from subcontractor freed from Cuba |
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