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Federal judge tosses lawsuit against St. Petersburg from cop killer's widow

 
Christine Lacy’s home was destroyed after Hydra Lacy Jr. killed two police officers.
Christine Lacy’s home was destroyed after Hydra Lacy Jr. killed two police officers.
Published Sept. 5, 2014

ST. PETERSBURG — For the second time this year, a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the city of St. Petersburg by the widow of a man who killed two police officers in 2011.

U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington's ruling Thursday was the latest setback for Christine Lacy, who has alleged that city officials violated her rights when they demolished her home in January 2011 just hours after her husband, Hydra, shot and killed Officer Jeff Yaslowitz and Sgt. Tom Baitinger.

Hernandez Covington dismissed the case in April, but allowed Lacy to file an amended complaint.

On Thursday, the judge ruled that Lacy's claim, that her due process rights had been violated, wasn't "sufficiently demonstrated." The judge dismissed those claims with prejudice.

But Hernandez Covington's signed order offered a chance for Lacy to pursue some compensation in state court for $64,000 of belongings inside the home. The judge also said that Lacy's claim that the city made her property worthless and destroyed any economic value hasn't been fully vetted at the state level.

Lacy had originally filed her case in circuit court, but it was later moved to federal court because she argued that her constitutional rights had been violated. Lacy's lawsuit leaned on the fact that after the demolition, then-Mayor Bill Foster promised to make her "whole."

James Wardell, Lacy's attorney, declined to comment Thursday. Assistant City Attorney Joe Patner couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

In April, Patner said that the city's position was that any damage to Lacy's house was the result of Hydra Lacy's murder of two police officers.

Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Contact Charlie Frago at cfrago@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8459.