SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Former death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal (moo-MEE'-ah AH'-boo jah-MAHL') has been granted a federal court hearing in Pennsylvania over the medical care he's received for hepatitis C and other health problems.

Mumia spent nearly 30 years on death row in the 1981 slaying of a Philadelphia police officer before the sentence was overturned.

The former Black Panther is now serving a life sentence at a state prison in Schuylkill County.

Mumia's lawyers say he was denied proper medical care both in prison and during a hospital stay this year at Geisinger Medical Center. But they say the issues stem from a medical dispute and not any indifference toward Mumia's well-being.

U.S. District Judge Robert Mariani has agreed Tuesday to hear evidence and arguments on the matter Dec. 18 in Scranton.
BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world.

(Photo: April Saul/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT)