Cleveland sued over 11 found slain at home

CLEVELAND (AP) — Families of five of the 11 women whose remains were found in a convicted sex offender's home are suing the city of Cleveland.

A wrongful-death lawsuit filed today also names several police officers and an assistant prosecutor.

The families claim the women would not have died if authorities had not released 51-year-old Anthony Sowell after he was arrested and held for two days in December 2008.

Sowell had been arrested when a woman told police he had beaten and tried to rape her.

The mayor's office and the police department did not immediately return phone calls and e-mails from The Associated Press seeking comment on the lawsuit.

Sowell was indicted in the killings in December 2009 and has pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to go on trial in February.