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June 19, 2012

Judge Dismisses $40M Suit in Fatal Beating of Ecuadorian Immigrant 
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A federal judge has dismissed a $40 million lawsuit against New York's
Suffolk County and its police department in connection with the November
2008 hate crime that killed Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorean immigrant.
Lucero was taunted and then stabbed to death by a group of white
teenagers who had been looking for a Hispanic person to assault. His
family had brought a suit accusing local and police officials of
responsibility for the murder because of a "indifferent and
unconstitutional failure to provide equal [protection]" for immigrants.
But in a newly unsealed ruling, U.S. District Judge Leonard Wexler
invalidated the suit on the grounds the accused officials weren't
adequately served with court papers. Lucero's brother, Joselo Lucero
said: "I believe that this court is rushing to decide everything in the
county's and police's favor."

 

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