European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a the stars and stripes sunday november 24, 1991judge nullifies a s $10 Legal fee limit san Francisco up a Federal judge ruled Friday that the department of veterans affairs May not use a civil War Cra Law to prevent a atomic veterans from hiring lawyers to seek medical benefits for cancer. . District judge Marilyn Hall Patel said the Law which limits Legal fees in a claims to $10, serves no legitimate government interest but effectively prevents veterans from pursuing complicated claims against the government. A the court rules that the $10 fee limitation violates plaintiffs constitutional rights under both the fifth and first amendments a Patel wrote in a 51-Page decision. The decision is Only the latest in a Legal struggle Between veterans and the government that began in 1983. Patel first declared the fee limit unconstitutional in 1984. She was later overruled by the supreme court but the justices acknowledged that there might be some especially Complex kinds of claims where veterans need Legal advice. In fridays ruling Patel said so called a atomic veterans have just such a Case. She cited both the difficulty in ascribing a cancer to any particular cause and bureaucratic barricades at the a. A it is a daunting if not impossible task for a Layperson or one without Access to Legal resources to compile evidence that is methodologically sound and will pass Muster a Patel wrote. Patel expressly rejected the a s claim that its procedural safeguards protect veterans. A retaining counsel is often plaintiffs Only Means of effectively pursuing their.  she wrote. Veterans groups have said they think More than 330,000 veterans May have been exposed to dangerous Levels of radiation during atomic testing during the postwar occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or through other sources. About 10,000 have sought medical benefits for cancers they blame on their exposure to radiation said Gordon Erspamer a san Francisco lawyer for several veterans. Around 2,500 of those claims were filed after 1988, when Congress passed a Law lifting the Legal fee limit for atomic veterans. Thursdays ruling would affect the remaining 7,500 atomic veterans who filed claims before the 1988 Law took effect Erspamer said. It might also apply to Veter taking paws to think about thanksgiving Willie the farm dog licks his chops hungrily As he keeps the possibility of gobbling up leftovers from thurs in watch Over some turkeys at a farm in Pittston Maine. With feast a Prospect that would ruffle the feathers of his two 1 thanksgiving approaching the canine can look ahead to barnyard friends.  with claims for agent Orange contamination and other complicated cases. Matthew Larrabee a lawyer representing the National association of radiation survivors in Oakland said it was practically impossible to persuade lawyers to assume the complicated radiation cases for Only $10. A that Wasny to happening a Larrabee said. A it s incredibly difficult to prove in. Say 1987, that you have cancer because of atomic radiation you were exposed to in 1944.�?� with fridays ruling he said a there s a much better Chance that these plaintiffs will have a Chance to present their Case and have them fairly  Erspamer said the ruling could open the Way for veterans who have already settled claims to reopen their cases and possibly win additional benefits. According to court records the $10 fee limit was imposed in 1862 to protect civil War veterans from unscrupulous lawyers. Patel said that would be Worth $580 today. She added that the governments a a paternalistic interest in protecting veterans from the Legal profession could be met by some More realistic fee limit. Teen Bookie used threats police say fort Lauderdale Fla. A a 16-year-old was arrested for taking thousands of dollars in bets from his classmates and threatening that a muscle Man would Hunt them Down if they did no to pay up. Police said. At least 10 students from Marjory Stone Man Douglas High school in the fort Lauderdale suburb of Parkland placed bets ranging from $20 to $3,500, mostly on professional football games said it. Dave Green of the Broward sheriffs office. The teen whose name was not released because he a a juvenile was arrested thursday and charged with two counts of felony bookmaking and Misdemeanour counts of gambling and conspiracy. He was released to his parents. Green said some students who  cover their debts got scared and went to their parents for help. One father discovered his son owed thousands of  advised to proceed with lab consolidation Washington apr the army Navy and air Force should push ahead with plans to consolidate dozens of research laboratories but the army should put off spending $78 million for one new site pending further study an advisory panel reported Friday. The department of defense operates 66 research and development laboratories. They spend $6.5 billion annually and employ nearly 6 1,000 people of whom 26,000 Are scientists and engineers. The labs provide technical expertise for the military services with the goal of helping the services make the proper decisions about weapons purchases and the materials needed to support the forces. However As the Pentagon has begun to close and consolidate military bases in response to budget cuts legis lation was passed requiring that a panel recommend ways to improve the laboratories performance and Cut Back on overlapping work. The commission determined that the services plans for reorganizing their labs a Are reasonable and should continue the panel said in a statement. But the commission said one exception should be made the army should hold off on spending $78 million for a microelectronics research facility at Adelphi md., a spending the outcome of an Independent study to assess the advantages and disadvantages of a single microelectronics research facility for All three  some of the changes the panel recommended included a naming a civilian a High level advocate within each service who would he accountable for the effectiveness of the labs. A emphasizing a technology background and management experience in the selection of Laboratory directors. A having directors serve for a minimum of four years. A establishing an advisory committee of outside experts Tor each lab to review the organizations work. The panel also lauded a project Reliance a a year old project devoted to helping the labs eliminate Duplica Tive work and increase cooperation in special areas of technology. Deputy Secretary of defense Donald Atwood forwarded the panels recommendations to Congress and asked the secretaries of the military branches o come up with a plan for implementing their recommendations by Jan. 3. Man sought after confessing on to to sex with girl 14 i .1,1.1 / my t to it Quot Quot county sheriffs department urea North of Stan Francisco a a a a in. Napa c Alit. Apr authorities on Friday searched for a Man who last week confessed on the nationally syndicated guru do show that he had sex with his girlfriends daughter when she was 14. Quot Quot nothing like this has happened before although people have certainly come on the program and confessed to All kinds of things including murder a said guru do spokesman Jeff Erdel. Napa county sheriffs department officials searched for Donald Bixler who had been living with the girl and her Mother now his Fiancee. All three appeared on the a Crucio show wednesday. On thursday child protective services removed the girl now 16, from their Home after Agency officials taped the to show. Sheriff Gary Simpson said. Bixler 24, apparently fled from the area mirth of san Francisco on thursday and is evading arrest Simpson said. In interviews with police the Mother and daughter said the allegations made on the guru do show were True Simn son said. Elk Fri Scoulios arc Sci King charges of child endangerment against the girls Mother and also charges of unlawful sex Voith a minor against Bixler a brother Michael. Sheriffs it. John Baumgarter said. Michael Bixler 20, told police that he has had sex with the girl for the past 18 months Baumgarter said. Guru do producer David Scott said the show was taped about two weeks ago. 1 it was the Mother who called us and she told How her Boyfriend now her Fiance had had an affair with her daughter about two years ago a Scott said. A she forgave him and they put this behind them and went on from