U.S., Cuba patch torn relations in historic accord
President Barack Obama abruptly announced the U.S. is re-establishing long-broken diplomatic relations with Cuba on Wednesday, declaring an end to America's "outdated approach" to the communist island in a historic shift aimed at ending a half-century of Cold War enmity.
American held in Cuba: Suit against U.S. dismissed
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by an American imprisoned in Cuba against the U.S. government, for whom he was working when he was arrested. Judge James Boasberg wrote Tuesday in an opinion dismissing the case that federal law bars lawsuits against the government based on injuries suffered in foreign countries. […]
Cuban prisoner settles lawsuit against Bethesda company
WASHINGTON — An American imprisoned in Cuba settled a lawsuit Thursday against the company he was working for when arrested, a lawsuit that claimed he wasn’t properly warned about or prepared for the risks of working in the communist nation. Alan Gross and his wife filed the lawsuit in November against the U.S. government and […]
Van Hollen, Leahy meet with Castro and jailed American
HAVANA — U.S. lawmakers confirmed on Wednesday that they visited an American man whose detention and long sentence in Cuba has hampered efforts to improve ties between the countries, but they gave no details on his condition or what was said. The seven-member delegation, led by Sen. Patrick Leahy and including U.S. Rep. Chris Van […]
Md. company, U.S. ask judge to toss $60M lawsuit
WASHINGTON — A Maryland-based company and the U.S. government are asking a judge to dismiss a $60 million lawsuit filed by an American imprisoned in Cuba that accuses both of failing to adequately prepare him for work in that country. Lawyers for Development Alternatives Inc. filed documents in federal court in Washington on Tuesday asking […]
Cuba: Jailed Maryland man doesn’t have cancer
WASHINGTON — The Cuban government said Wednesday that a test shows an American imprisoned in Cuba doesn’t have cancer, countering a previous statement by a US doctor that a mass on his shoulder should be assumed to be cancerous unless proven harmless. Both sides have spent the past several months going back and forth about […]
Family of Potomac man imprisoned in Cuba suing employer
WASHINGTON — An American imprisoned in Cuba for nearly three years is suing his former Maryland employer and the United States government for $60 million, saying they didn’t adequately train him or disclose risks he was undertaking by doing development work on the Communist island. Alan Gross and his wife Judy sued Friday in federal […]
Obama administration urges Cuba to allow Md. man to see U.S. doctor
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration wants an American imprisoned in Cuba to see his personal physician amid concerns he may have a cancerous growth on his shoulder. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland says Maryland native Alan Gross should be released. Short of that, she says Gross should be allowed to see a U.S. doctor. The […]
Doctor: Md. man imprisoned in Cuba may have cancer
WASHINGTON — A doctor says an American man imprisoned in Cuba may have a cancerous growth on his shoulder, contradicting the Cuban government which has said his health is normal. A lawyer for the imprisoned man, Maryland native Alan Gross, said Tuesday that a U.S. physician came to that conclusion after reviewing medical records sent […]
44 senators write Cuban president about Md. man
WASHINGTON — Forty-four senators have written to Cuba’s president to call for the release of a Maryland man imprisoned in Cuba for almost three years. The one-page letter released Tuesday is signed by 34 Democrats, nine Republicans and independent Joseph Lieberman. It says that the detention of Alan Gross is a major obstacle to improving […]
Cuba lashes out at Md. prisoner’s health charges
HAVANA — Cuba lashed back Friday at what it called a campaign of distortions over the health of an imprisoned American contractor, and hinted at retaliation that could include moving the 63-year-old man out of the military hospital where he is being held and putting him in a regular prison. The statement sent by Cuba’s […]
Lawyer: Maryland man’s health declining in Cuba prison
WASHINGTON — A lawyer for an American imprisoned in Cuba for more than two years says his client’s health is declining and that Cuba is withholding the results of medical tests performed on him last month. Peter Kahn, a lawyer for Alan Gross, said he sent a letter Monday to Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington […]