House Speaker Marco Rubio defended on a Panama City radio talk show Wednesday, the Legislature's decision to give the family of Martin Lee Anderson a $5 million settlement last spring, but added, "the claims bill process is highly politicized."
Rubio also said for a long time lobbyists and lawyers usually receive windfalls from these settlements. In the Anderson claims bill, as in other claims bill passed last session, attorney fees were slashed in half.
Anderson died Jan. 6, 2006, a day after he was hit, kneed and kicked by drill instructors at the Bay County boot camp, after he had collapsed while running laps. Seven drill instructors and a camp nurse were charged with felony aggravated manslaughter of a child in Anderson's death.
One medical examiner said Anderson died from a blood disorder, sickle-cell trait, while a second medical examiner said the 14-year-old died when guards clamped his mouth shut and held ammonia tablets beneath his nose for several minutes. The incident was captured on videotape.
Claims against state and local governments are capped at $200,000. Any payment above that requires special action by the Legislature - a claims bill.
Many callers complained that the Anderson settlement should have been decided after the criminal trial takes place. The trial begins Oct. 3.
Rubio explained the settlement was based on Anderson being harmed, and that the criminal trial is another matter.
"The Martin Lee Anderson claims settlement needed to be done to put the matter behind the state," Rubio said.