Slain court reporter's daughter sues sheriff

Julie Ann Brandau's daughter filed suit Monday blaming Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman and eight current and former Sheriff's Office deputies for her mother's death March 11.

The suit, filed in DeKalb County State Court, is the second wrongful death suit to be filed because of the fatal shootings at the Fulton County Courthouse that left dead court reporter Brandau, Judge Rowland Barnes and Sgt. Hoyt Teasley.

Christina Scholte, Brandau's daughter, said the Fulton County Sheriff's Office could have prevented her mother's death if it had properly passed along and responded to information about the danger posed by Brian Nichols, who is charged with killing the three at the courthouse and U.S. customs agent David Wilhelm at his home in Buckhead later that day.

Nichols has pleaded not guilty to the charges that could get him the death penalty if he is convicted.

Neither Freeman nor his spokeswoman returned messages seeking comment.

Scholte's attorney also could not be reached.

Claudia Barnes, the slain judge's widow, filed a similar wrongful death suit against Freeman and some of the same deputies last October, raising complaints similar to the ones in Scholte's suit.

According to the Scholte suit, Freeman and "his deputies were grossly negligent" and they "failed to perform their respective ministerial duties."