FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS SUIT IN TULIA CASE DISMISSED

The 46 people arrested in a 1999 drug bust officially ended their parts in
the ongoing Tulia saga with the dismissal of a federal civil rights
lawsuit. Following the negotiation of a $6 million settlement by all
parties involved in the suit, U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson signed
an order dated April 30 dismissing the action, which was filed by two of
the Tulia defendants.

The one-page order dismisses the lawsuit and assigns all legal costs to the
parties that accrued the costs.

The two women who filed the suit - Tonya White and Zury Bossett - were
among 46 people, 39 of them black, who were arrested in 1999 after an
18-month undercover investigation by itinerant lawman Tom Coleman.

The arrests spurred accusations of racism and official misconduct and
eventually led Gov. Rick Perry to issue pardons for nearly all the defendants.

The federal lawsuit was filed last year against the 30 cities and counties
that made up the Panhandle Regional Narcotics Trafficking Task Force, which
supervised the undercover operation.

The city of Amarillo led off the settlement process by agreeing to pay $5
million and disband the task force, which the city headed. The other cities
and counties negotiated settlement amounts ranging from $80,000 to $5,000
to make up the remaining $1 million.

Although the lawsuit was filed by only two of the Tulia defendants, the
settlement covers everyone who was arrested in the sting.

Adam Levin, an attorney with the Washington law firm of Hogan and Hartson,
said the final disposition of the suit gives all the parties involved a
chance to move on.

"This case was never solely about the money, it was about bringing closure
to our clients whose lives have been tainted by the Tulia drug sting,"
Levin said. "I hope the dismissal will bring some closure to the residents
of the Panhandle while also serving as a lesson for how justice should be
administered."

Although the part for the Tulia defendants has ended, other aspects of the
controversy are still alive.

Coleman is facing prosecution on three counts of aggravated perjury for
allegedly lying under oath in evidentiary hearings. His trial was set for
this month, but it has been delayed as prosecutors seek a change of venue.

District Attorney Terry McEachern also will be facing a court date where he
will answer a complaint filed by the State Bar of Texas alleging
prosecutorial misconduct. McEachern, who lost his bid for re-election in
March, could lose his law license if he loses at the trial, which should
happen later this year.