Bribery Sentence Cut

In Douai, France, an appeals court has reduced politician Bernard Tapie’s sentence in a soccer bribery scandal from one year to eight months and barred him from office for three years instead of five.

The financially troubled tycoon admitted that while owner of Olympique Marseille he had met with the trainer of the Valenciennes team, but denied trying to fix a 1993 match.

The Phillie Phanatic, the wild, cartoon-like mascot who entertains Philadelphia baseball fans, has cost the Phillies $128,000.

The big green character knocked down a 68-year-old man at a 1991 church carnival, and a Common Pleas Court jury awarded Carl G. Seidel $100,000 in compensatory damages. The jury awarded Seidel’s wife $28,000 for the loss of his companionship as the injured man can barely walk after an old back injury was aggravated.

Two former University of Houston assistant football coaches claim they were unjustly fired two days after the Cougars’ dismal 1993 finish, according to a lawsuit against the school and coach Kim Helton.

The wrongful termination lawsuit accuses the university, Helton and other officials of breach of contract, violation of civil rights, conspiracy and other civil liability.

Ron Shanklin and Melvin Robertson contend they were fired without cause.

In Lyndhurst, Ohio, Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians was convicted of reckless operation of a motor vehicle on private property. He was fined $100.