Cincy Post: City is dropping handgun lawsuit

After a four-year long legal battle, the city of Cincinnati is dropping its lawsuit against handgun manufacturers.

Noted product liability attorney Stanley Chesley, who is representing the city, told local officials Tuesday that he recommended withdrawing the lawsuit because the political climate has changed dramatically since the case was filed in 1999.

A bill pending before Congress that would give the gun industry immunity from lawsuits like the one filed by Cincinnati probably will be approved, Chesley said.

Also, gun industry attorneys are demanding numerous depositions from local police officers and are requiring that thousands of pages of police reports be copied, severely taxing the police department's time and resources.

Chesley recommended that the lawsuit be withdrawn without prejudice, meaning the city would be allowed to refile it any time within a year.

Click here for the full story in the Cincinnati Post.