Electrocuted soldier's mom drops lawsuit against KBR

The mother of a Texas soldier electrocuted in Iraq in 2005 said it was a difficult decision to drop wrongful death lawsuits filed in two states against defense contractor KBR Inc. Larraine McGee, mother of Staff Sgt. Christopher L. Everett, said Tuesday she felt she had no choice when she agreed to KBR's request to dismiss federal complaints filed against the company in Texas and Louisiana. She said she feared "losing the whole case," which also names as a defendant Arkel International LLC, a defense contractor based in Baton Rouge. "KBR had us tied up in appeals, and Arkel didn't appeal anything," said McGee, of Huntsville, Texas. "I was afraid of losing it all. I felt I had to do this so the case against Arkel could continue."