Presser Agrees to Health Exam; Trial Set July 12

Teamsters Union President Jackie Presser, whose health problems have led to repeated delays in his federal court trial on racketeering and labor fraud charges, agreed Tuesday to submit to an independent physical examination by a government-appointed doctor.

Presser’s agreement to undergo the exam was disclosed at a court hearing at which U.S. District Judge George W. White ruled that Presser and two associates will begin their trial on July 12. John R. Climaco, general counsel of the Teamsters and Presser’s defense attorney, told White that the union chieftain had no objection to the medical examination in Washington on Feb. 26. Climaco said Presser “should be capable of standing trial” by July.

The name of the physician and the location of the examination were not disclosed.

Cancerous Tumor Removed

Presser has been recuperating in Phoenix since October from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments after removal of a cancerous tumor from his lung in January, 1987.

Climaco has told the court that periodic exams by Dr. Thomas Rice and others at the Cleveland Clinic have shown that Presser is “cancer-free.” He is, however, in a weakened condition as a result of the cancer treatments, a condition that will improve over time, according to court papers filed by Climaco.

Climaco told reporters outside court that Presser, 61, continues to run the 1.6-million-member union from his hideaway in Phoenix, although he is able to work only an hour or two each day.

“He is not taking a leave of absence,” the attorney said.

Presser is under criminal indictment on charges that he misused $700,000 in Teamster funds to pay the salaries of mob-related “no-show” employees of his hometown Cleveland Local 507. Similarly charged are Local 507 President Harold Friedman and international Teamsters Vice President Anthony Hughes, a longtime Presser associate.

Climaco has contended that Presser’s actions were legal because Presser and Hughes served as secret informants for the FBI.

Complaint on File Access

At the court hearing, Climaco reiterated complaints that Stephen H. Jigger, the federal prosecutor, has refused to turn over many of the 10,000 FBI files on Presser’s work as an informant, which Climaco insists he needs to prepare Presser’s defense.

But Jigger said he has made available all the documents required by law and is still awaiting an Appeals Court ruling on whether additional materials must be given to defense lawyers.

Before the latest five-month delay, Presser’s trial had been postponed from last August until this month because of his medical treatments.