Holloway lawsuit against Dutch teen dismissed 04/08/2006 00:00

4 August 2006

AMSTERDAM — A lawsuit filed by the family of missing US school graduate Natalee Holloway against Dutch teenager Joran van der Sloot has been dismissed by a court in New York.

Holloway's family were seeking unspecified damages against Joran van der Sloot, 18, claiming he was responsible for the disappearance of their 18-year-old daughter on the autonomous Dutch island of Aruba in May 2005. His father Paul was also cited in the action.

Judge Barbara Kapnick sided with an application by the Van der Sloots to quash the suit. She referred to a previous ruling that stated local taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for a complex case "when their interest in the suit ... is so ephemeral."

The Holloway's lawyer argued that filing the suit in Aruba would cause a media frenzy and could interfere with the ongoing investigation. Joran van der Sloot was "elated" by the judge's decision, his attorney told Fox News.

Holloway was vacationing in Aruba with friends in May last year to celebrate their graduation from school. She was last seen leaving a bar at 1am on 30 May with Joran van der Sloot and two of his friends.

They were arrested on 9 June but they denied harming her. They said they left her on a beach at her own request. They were subsequently released and Joran van der Sloot is now a college student in the Netherlands.

Repeated searches have failed to find any trace of Natalee Holloway. Her mother, Beth Twitty, has accused the authorities in Aruba of botching the investigation. She is convinced Joran van der Sloot is responsible for her daughter's disappearance.

His father, Paul van der Sloot, was awarded damages equivalent to EUR 22,000 by a court in Aruba this week for wrongful detention. The judge found that he was arrested and held without due cause for four days last year by investigators.

[Copyright Expatica News 2006]

Subject: Dutch news