NATION IN BRIEF

$54.6 Million Jury Award In Torture Case Restored

MIAMI -- A federal appeals court in Atlanta reversed itself and reinstated a West Palm Beach, Fla., jury verdict awarding $54.6 million to three plaintiffs who accused two former Salvadoran generals of doing nothing to stop subordinates from torturing them.

In February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit had revoked the $54.6 million verdict against the two retired generals -- both Florida residents -- who commanded troops in their Central American homeland during the civil war in the 1980s. But, on Wednesday, the court changed its mind.

The reason: A court panel decided it was wrong to initially conclude that the plaintiffs -- a church worker, a rural doctor and a university professor -- could not get the money because they had waited until after the 10-year statute of limitations to sue had expired.

Plaintiffs Juan Romagoza Arce, Neris Gonzalez and Carlos Mauricio sued former Salvadoran generals Jose Guillermo Garcia and Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova in 1999.

They said the torture occurred between 1979 and 1983. The West Palm Beach court ruled they were justified in suing more than 10 years later because such action was possible only after the Salvadoran civil war ended in 1992.

The appeals court initially rejected the 1992 start date, ruling that there was no evidence the plaintiffs would have been prevented from filing the suit earlier.

On Wednesday, it decided that the law permits plaintiffs to sue if they can show that circumstances beyond their control prevented them from filing before the statute of limitations expired.

Ex-FBI Agent a Suspect In 1992 Mob Slaying

NEW YORK -- No one disputes that Nicholas Grancio died in a gangland-style shooting.

But a lawsuit filed by Grancio's wife, Maria, and an investigation by state prosecutors have renewed questions about whether the gangster who ordered his killing in broad daylight more than a decade ago had an unlikely ally: an FBI agent.

The lawsuit, filed Friday, alleges that R. Lindley DeVecchio called off a surveillance team that was tailing Grancio in 1992 at the request of his trusted Mafia informer. That gave a team of hit men an opening to gun down the victim amid a Brooklyn mob war, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit follows reports that the Brooklyn district attorney's office has reopened an investigation into the relationship between DeVecchio, now retired and living in Florida, and Gregory Scarpa Sr., a member of the Colombo crime family known as a brutal killer and a shadowy government operative.

Named as defendants are DeVecchio and a current FBI agent, Christopher Favo. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, alleges that Favo, at DeVecchio's direction, ordered the surveillance team to retreat.

DeVecchio denied the accusations through his attorney. A call to the FBI about Favo was not returned. Scarpa died in prison in 1994.

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NEW YORK -- James Zadroga, 34, a police detective who spent hundreds of hours searching for Sept. 11 victims at Ground Zero, died of a respiratory disease related to the cleanup, union officials said. He is believed to be the first emergency responder to die as a result of exposure to World Trade Center dust and debris, said Michael J. Palladino, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association.

-- From News Services