John Yoo appeals Padilla lawsuit

SAN FRANCISCO, July 14 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Justice Department lawyer John Yoo is appealing a federal judge's ruling that Jose Padilla, held as an enemy combatant, can sue him.

The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The department also said it was no longer representing Yoo, who has retained an unnamed private lawyer.

The author of what became a notorious Bush administration memo on interrogation techniques, Yoo is now teaching at the University of California at Berkeley. He has been sued by Padilla, who was held for three years without charges and says he was subjected to stress positions, death threats and other harsh tactics justified by Yoo.

Padilla, a former Chicago gang member and Muslim convert, was eventually put on trial, convicted and sentenced to 17 years for aiding and supporting Islamic terrorist groups.

Yoo worked for the Justice Department from 2001 to 2003. He wrote a number of memos on interrogation, treatment of detainees and presidential power. In the best-known, he said torture was limited to techniques so extreme they would cause "organ failure, impairment of bodily function or even death."