AN American contractor imprisoned in Cuba has settled a lawsuit in which he accused the company he was working for and the US government of failing to warn him about the risks of working there.

Alan Gross and his wife Judy filed the $60 million (£39.5m) lawsuit in November 2012 against the US government and Development Alternatives, a contractor for the US Agency for International Development.

The suit claimed Mr Gross, 64, should have been given better information and training for his work on increasing internet access.

The settlement with Development Alternatives was filed in a Washington court. The US government is not included in the settlement.

Mr Gross has been jailed in Cuba since December 2009. He is serving a 15-year sentence for providing internet gear under a programme that Cuba views as subversive. The US insists Mr Gross was merely helping the local population get connected.