Cuba: Alan Gross Settles Lawsuit, Remains in Prison
HAVANA TIMES — Alan Gross is scheduled to walk out his Cuban prison in 2024 and when he does he will have a nest egg waiting after his lawyers settled a lawsuit with his former employer Development Alternatives Inc., a USAID contractor.
The suit, claiming that DAI had not informed Gross, 64, as to the risks involved in carrying out his illegal activities in Cuba, asked for $60 million in damages.
Nonetheless, the report of the settlement did not mention the amount awarded the imprisoned agent and neither side admitted any wrong doing.
Gross and his wife had filed the lawsuit last November against both DAI, based in Bethesda, Maryland and the US government’s agency USAID.
“Gross was working for DAI under a contract with USAID, which does work to promote peaceful democratic change on the island. Cuba considers USAID’s programs illegal attempts by the U.S. to undermine the communist government, and court documents show Gross took steps to avoid detection and believed he was engaged in “very risky business.”
“A Cuban court subsequently convicted Gross of crimes against the state and sentenced him to 15 years in prison,” reported AP.
Efforts to get Gross released have thus far failed. Cuba has expressed interest in a swap for four Cuban agents imprisoned in the US for the last 13 years, but Washington has thus far refused any negotiation demanding that their agent be unilaterally released.
He doesn’t deserve a penny
I don’t think the US gov’t will ever pardon the remaining Cuban 5, so long as it might seem to be a swap for Alan Gross.
The best way for Cuba to win such a pardon, it seems to me, is to release Gross on humanitarian grounds, and pursue justice for the 5 on the merits of their unjust prosecution and incarceration.
Hope he gives the money to someone to spend now. Not much point having heaps i the bank at 84 y.o.
The settlement agreement is sealed ‘with prejudice’ meaning that the Gross’ can make no further claims against DAI with regards to this case. It also allows DAI to settle without admitting blame. This will make it harder for the Gross’ to be able to prevail in their suit against USAID. To do so would imply somehow that USAID knew or did something wrong that affected Gross in a negative way but that DAI, the direct contractor with USAiD was not equally culpable. This is not practical. I m sure that Mrs. Gross got a fat check, but likely nowhere near the $60 million originally asked for. The USAID suit will probably go away soon and the focus will return to where it belongs, on the Castros and their failed hostage-taking plan to trade for the now four Cuban spies.