$22-million Civil War era claim abandoned

TAMPA -- She had hoped to get more than $22-million from the city of Tampa for payment on a Civil War-era debt.

Instead, Joan Kennedy Biddle and her family have agreed to pay the city $4,000 in attorney's fees and hand over to the city the original copy of the 147-year-old promissory note. Biddle today dropped her lawsuit, which she filed in March.

She claimed that the city owed her $299.58 plus 8 percent annual interest for military supplies purchased on loan from her great-grandfather's store in 1861to defend the city against Union troops during the Civil War. Biddle has said the old promissory note was a family heirloom.

City attorneys argued the claim was invalid, saying, among other things, that the 14th amendment to the Consitution prohibits payments on debts incurred to assist in "rebellion against the United States. Jerry Gewirtz, chief assistant city attorney, said he delivered hundreds of pages of back-up material to support the city's arguments to Jim Purdy, Biddle's attorney, on Tuesday.

Several hours later, Gewirtz said, Purdy called and said he wanted to withdraw his complaint.

Janet Zink, Times staff writer