Spanish court throws out lawsuit against US treasure hunters

MADRID (AP) — A Spanish court has thrown out a lawsuit against American treasure hunters that accused them of having destroyed an underwater archaeological site when they looted a sunken galleon for tons of precious coins. In 2007, the Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration scooped up over half a million silver and gold coins when it discovered a sunken Spanish galleon. Spain disputed the company’s claim to the treasure, which was worth an estimated $500 million, in U.S. courts and won its return in 2012. But a court has now shelved for good a separate case that accused Odyssey of having profaned the shipwreck.