National News Briefs; Envoy Claims Immunity In Wrongful-Death Suit
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A diplomat who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a Maryland teen-ager in a car wreck is claiming diplomatic immunity in a civil lawsuit filed by the teen-ager’s family, its lawyer said on Friday. The diplomat, Gueorgui Makharadze of Georgia, has invoked the status in trying to dismiss a wrongful-death civil lawsuit filed by the family of Joviane Waltrick, said the lawyer, George Doumar. It seeks $15 million in damages. Miss Waltrick, 16, of Kensington, Md., was killed in January 1997 in a five-car pileup near Embassy Row. Mr. Makharadze pleaded guilty last October to one count of involuntary manslaughter and four counts of aggravated assault. The police said he had been speeding and had a blood alcohol level of 0.15 percent. In December, he was sentenced to 7 to 21 years in prison. Source : query.nytimes.com |