SAN DIEGO — A Michigan- based public-interest law firm that believes the criminal charges brought against eight Marines from Camp Pendleton in the killing of 24 Iraqis are politically motivated has filed a lawsuit against the State Department. The Thom as More Law Center, which represented one of the eight Marines, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani of Rangely, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington to force the department to turn over what the center says is an investigation by the Iraqi government into the Nov. 19, 2005, incident in Hadithah.
Of the eight Marines, seven were either found not guilty or had charges dropped. Charges against Chessani were dropped because of the appearance of “undue command influence.”
Denver Post wire services
