A federal judge on Monday limited the potential damages in a wrongful death suit against the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The judge said the family of a Nebraska couple killed by an ex-BIA employee was driving drunk cannot collect damages on emotional distress and pain and suffering.

The judge has not yet ruled if the BIA should pay the Ramaeker family. So far, he has heard testimony from the plaintiffs, who say the BIA should have kept Lloyd Larson off the road because his drinking problems were well known among colleagues and superiors. Four of Larson's superiors had been cited for DWI or for drinking on the job.

The family of another coupled killed in the accident settled with the BIA for $2 million.

Get the Story:
Damages Limited in BIA Case (The Albuquerque Journal 4/20)

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