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.