Compared to getting burned by hot Coffee this should = Millions
Hope they soak him for his remarks.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Marine staff sergeant linked to the killings of civilians in Haditha, Iraq, is suing anti-war Congressman John Murtha for libel, his attorneys announced Wednesday. [/b]
Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich accuses the Pennsylvania Democrat of spreading "false and malicious lies" about him and other Marines on media outlets, accusing them of intentionally killing 24 civilians and then covering the matter up, according to court documents.
A court document quotes Murtha,an ex-Marine, as saying on CNN May 19: "There was an IED attack, it killed one Marine, and then they overreacted and killed a number of civilians without anybody firing at them."
In a response to the lawsuit, Murtha said in a written statement "I don't blame the staff sergeant for lashing out. When I spoke up about Haditha, my intention was to draw attention to the horrendous pressure put on our troops in Iraq and to the cover-up of the incident."
The troops are caught in 'a tragic dilemma,' Murtha said, and find themselves in a degrading situation, with civilian deaths totaling almost 14,000, a 60 percent unemployment in the country, and growing numbers of insurgents.
"This conflict cannot be won militarily. Our troops are caught in the middle of a civil war. It's well beyond the time to redeploy from Iraq," he said, reiterating his signature theme.
Conflicting stories
The Marines are alleged to have killed the civilians in a bloody rampage November 19, following the death of a Marine by a roadside bomb.
Evidence collected in the deaths supports accusations that the Marines deliberately shot the civilians, including unarmed women and children, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. (Full story)
But Wuterich said that after his colleague's death, he and other Marines searched for insurgents in nearby homes and killed people they believed were threats. The story that the Marines intentionally killed civilians "is either a horrendous misunderstanding or intentional lie," according to the lawsuit.
Wuterich's lawyers blame Murtha for ruining their client's reputation and causing him potential harm. Murtha's comments may also cause the Department of Defense to pursue criminal charges against Wuterich, his lawyers said, according to court documents.
Wuterich is asking Murtha for monetary damages of more than $75,000, a public retraction and apology, an injunction to stop any future allegations against him, and a trial by jury, according to court documents.
In addition to the Haditha killings, U.S. soldiers and Marines have also been accused of killing three detainees near Samarra and raping and killing a 14-year-old girl, along with her family.
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RE: Compared to getting burned by hot Coffee this should = Millions
75K is a small pittance compared to the way their reputations were slammed. Murtha is a POS of the first magnitude and needs to be censored for his remarks and sued in Civil court for a very large amount.
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RE: Compared to getting burned by hot Coffee this should = Millions
After a trial that looked at the facts, they were acquitted. Murtha should pay dearly for his lies that slandered our good men and women in that incident. Let this be a lesson to everyone who hates our forces and makes up stories to slander them: you lie, you pay!
Compared to getting burned by hot Coffee this should = Millions
Yea, I noticed that too. 
