European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 16, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 16, 1987 the stars and stripes Page s judge rules for pm in a car Case rejects charges that brakes were unsafe Washington at1 . Dim net judge Thomas Penfold Jackson tuesday rejected charges by the National High Way traffic safely administration thai Genera Melon had sold 1.1 million 1980 a cars that in knew had unsafe brakes which could cause the can to spin out of control. Jackson said in a 7 Page ruling thai an analysis presented by pm during tic trial showed hat the a cars exhibited a relevant Accident Rale no worse than and in most instances better than the rate Tor not Only peer car groups but also Oil 1980  he said the government s cose emphasized the complaints of individual motorists who experienced unusual skid Ding incidents in their a cars but he concluded that anecdotal accounts of skidding events arc not sufficiently Relia  infer the existence of my specific Brake  this decision is Good news because in reaffirms he Quality of our products said pm chairman Roger a Smillir. The govern men i lied soil in Aumi 1983, seeking the recall of  million 1980 Chevrolet citation Pontiac Phye  Buick Skylark and Oldsmobile Omega models and asking that pm be fined 14 million. The non jury trial had been expected to last six weeks when in opened in March 1984, but almost two years elapsed before it reached closing arguments in february 1986. Nitsa says it received 4,282 complaints involving 1,4it accidents 18 fatalities and at Leam 400 injuries but pm said the numbers were inflated by unfair negative  pm accused my its a of going in court in an attempt to dispel criticism slim the Agency was slow to respond to safely problems. The lawsuit vim the first Lime Nitsa went directly to court to seek in expedited recall rather than first trying to Force a recall through administrative channels Nitsa administrator Diane Steed refused comment because we Are re viewing the opinion and studying our options concerning an Appeal. Both pm and the government placed High priority on the Case seeing its ramifications As extending beyond the 1.1 million cars at Issue. The government Hopal to Send it message to car makers that they must take the initiative in Cor reeling safely defects Cim hoped to Clear itself of charges that in knowingly sold unsafe cars. The private Center far Auto safety said the ruling did t Eno Craic pm. Hut Rifle Clad the government s inadequacies in the courtroom. The court did not Rule thai these arc Safe cars just thai the government brought a defective  said Clarence Pillow the Center s director the 1980 a cars arrived on the mar Ket in 1979 and quickly emerged As pop ular fuel efficient front wheel drive vehicles. About 3 million were sold before they where phased out in 19115 after suf Fering from lawsuits negative publicity and repeated recalls. Whitehead visits baby m with court approval Hackensack , up1 Mary Beth White head was reunited with baby m tuesday for the first Lime since a judge upheld her 510,000 surrogate Mother contract with a childless couple and stripped her of All parental rights to the  from a Bergen county youth Home in Hackensack after a two hour supervised visit authorized by the supreme court Whitchead told reporters it Felt great to see the child again. She said she called the baby Sara the name she has always used to refer to the year old girl the child has been known legally As Melissa Stem since the March 31 decision in the custody Battle Between Whitehead and William and Elizabeth siem of Tenafly one of wet itched lawyer said tuesday that Whitehead s Appeal will argue that her contract to Bear a child using William Stern s sperm was illegal because she was not paid the minimum wage of j3,35 an hour. Lawyer Alan Karcher who is also the Leader of the democratic minority in the new Jersey Assembly said he would base his arguments to the stale supreme court in pan on new Jersey s wage and hour and minimum wage Laws. Under those Laws and applicable court decisions while had was an employee of the Sterns and eligible for the minimum wage not an Independent contractor providing a service Karcher said. If it was an employer employee relationship Karcher said it violated existing state policy about oppressive wages Tor an employee. The supreme court which has agreed to hear the Mary Beth whitest we after visiting her daughter Case in mid september last week granted the Brick township no. Woman the right to visit the child once a week during the Appeal process. Karcher who was not involved with the baby m trial but has volunteered to help with the Appeal said Whitchead worked nearly 7.000 hours to fulfil her contract with the Sterns including the four months she spent trying to conceive the pregnancy itself and four Days in Ihnn Ospital when the child was delivered. Karcher said the si0.000 fee while had was to be paid for carrying baby m actually works out to s 1.47 an hour far less than the minimum wage of $3.,15 an hour. He said the contract should be voided on those grounds. Whitchead has never accepted the fee. Gary Skoloff the chief lawyer for the Sterns rejected Karcher s arguments and said the Issue of an employer employee relationship was never raised at the two month baby m trial. I m not sure he can raise it on Appeal is Nee in was t raised in the courts below Skoloff said let alone to argue that she was an employee. In Flics in the face of common  Karcher said thai the new Jersey Constitution Al lows the supreme court to consider arguments not raised at trial. Bergen county Superior court judge Harvey Sorkow ruled after a iwo Moth trial thai Whitchead s contract with the childless stems was valid and thai she must give up All her Legal rights to the daughter she bore on March 27, 1985. While had 30. Testified at trial that she in tended at first 10 fulfil her contract with the stems she said she realized during labor and delivery that she did not want to pan with the child. Tax return shows first family paid $92,460 on income of $336,640 Santa Barbara Calif. Up pc Sid Cal and mrs. Reagan paid a lax of 192,460 on 1986 adjusted income of $336,640 and wound up entitled to a $31,057 refund the White mouse said. One Day before the april is lax riling deadline the White House released a return that showed the reagans paid 27.5 percent of their 1386 Gross income compared with 31.1 percent of hair 1985 income. The reagans deductions included $9,400 for Legal acc incurred from j9s4 and 1985 audits by the internal Revenue service. While House spokesman Marlin Fili water said the audits resulted in no change in their tax Bills. In a written statement that accompanied the release of the 1040 form he filed monday the president said this april 15 is the Las Lime americans will pay the higher complicated rates of the old sys tem. From now on april is will be a lot easier to take the Reagan reported a $57,852 drop in income from 1985 due in part to 20 percent less in in Crest and dividends from their Blind Trust and a sizable Cut in capital gains that reflected the completed Sale last year of their Home in Pacific Palisades near los Angeles. The drop in income also was due to a plunge in accrued royalties Reagan received Tor his autobiography where s the rest of me the payments which totalled $ 17,282 in 1985. Were Only $72 in 1986. The combination of $69,517 in with holding and $54,000 in quarterly estimated payments entitled the reagans to their s31,057 refund $4,150 More than 1985. In addition to the president s $200,000 government salary the reagans reported $1,506 in Union scale earnings for the first lady s anti drug appearances on television shows. She donated the Money loan anti drug group. Bond denies gossip about cocaine use Atlanta not in his first pub Lic response to reports thai his estranged wife told police that he was o cocaine abuser former stale sen. Julian Bond denied tuesday that he has Ever taken the drug or committed any crime. Bond 47, said his wife. Alice has re l ratted the allegation that he and several other prominent Public figures in Atlanta used cocaine. He blamed the controversy on what he called professional scavengers and gos sip mongers who have made life hell Tor his family. He described the current controversy As a family affair of concern Only to those who arc intimately  later during a radio talk show he said he would Coop Raie if asked with police and Federal investigators who Are a antiquing separate investigations into the matter. Robert Barr. The . Attorney Here said tuesday that Federal Law enforce ment agencies were reviewing the allegations and a Federal grand jury May begin taking testimony this week. Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. April 16, 1947 Rudolph hocus was hanged at of Wiccum crematorium where 4 million people were burned. Starved or beaten to death during i ten ure As the nazis chief executioner 30 years ago foday. April 16, 1957 manufacturers o prefabricated Homes whose business Lias grown by More than 250 percent in the past 10 years Are preparing for a record breaking Boom due to the pressures of Light credit. 20 years ago today. April 16. 1967 in a giant pro list against the War in Vietnam scores of american youth burned their draft turds As thousands of  Rizir Vacti from a Meadow in Manhattan s Central Park 10 the uni cd nations Pla a ?0 years ago foday. April 16, 1977 soviet Dor . Tarasov said Ai the end of the 1 1 111 round of East West disarmament talks that nato so far has failed to sup port its claims of Warsaw pact manpower Tumperi trily arid should accept across the Board reductions