Nation briefs 3/8/16

Fire kills 6 people in boarding house

ATLANTA -- A fire roared through a boarding house in Atlanta early Monday, collapsing the building and killing six people, authorities said. The victims included four men and two women, Atlanta Fire Rescue spokesman Cortez Stafford said. Their names were not available. Stafford said the cause of the fire had not been determined. Fire crews were called to the house on the city's northwest side about 5 a.m. Monday. When they arrived, the blaze already had spread through the roof and throughout the building, making it impossible for firefighters to reach some areas of the home, Stafford said. "We got on scene and did the best job we could to try to get inside -- there was just too much fire," he said at the scene.

Flint water crisis prompts lawsuit

FLINT, Mich. -- A lawsuit stemming from Flint's lead-contaminated water was filed Monday on behalf of the city's residents against Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder as well as other current and former government officials and corporations. The federal lawsuit -- which seeks class-action status -- alleges tens of thousands of residents have suffered physical and economic injuries and damages. It argues officials failed to take action over "dangerous levels of lead" in drinking water and "downplayed the severity of the contamination" in the financially struggling city. Snyder's spokesman Ari Adler said the administration doesn't comment on pending litigation, but is "staying focused on solutions for the people of Flint." The lawsuit, which seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages, was filed on behalf of seven residents.

Andrews gets $55M in nude-video suit

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A jury awarded Erin Andrews $55 million Monday in her lawsuit against a stalker who rented a hotel room next to her and secretly recorded a nude video, finding the hotel companies and the stalker shared in the blame. After a full day of deliberations, the panel said the stalker was responsible for 51 percent of the verdict, and the two hotel companies should share the rest, which is nearly $27 million. Andrews, a Fox Sports reporter and co-host of the TV show "Dancing with the Stars," wept as jurors announced the verdict. She hugged her attorneys, family and several jurors after the verdict. She appeared to sign an autograph for at least one juror. The jury heard directly from Andrews, who testified she was humiliated, shamed and suffers from depression as a result of the video, which has been viewed by millions of people online. She had asked for $75 million.

Lesbian adoption ruling is voided

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Monday that Alabama's top court went too far when it tried to upend a lesbian mother's adoption of her partner's children. The justices threw out a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court in a dispute between two women whose long-term relationship ended. Before their breakup, one partner bore three children; the other formally adopted them in Georgia. The Alabama residents went to Georgia because they had been told Atlanta-area courts would be more receptive than judges in Alabama. The Georgia court granted the adoption in 2007. Alabama courts got involved when the birth mother tried to block her former partner from regular visits with the children. The Alabama Supreme Court sided with the birth mother in refusing to recognize the other woman as a parent and declaring the adoption invalid under Georgia law. Alabama justices ruled the Georgia adoption law didn't allow a "non-spouse to adopt a child without first terminating the parental rights of the current parents."

-- From wire reports