Mark J. Fitzgibbons has an opinion piece in the National Law Journal Government has gone overboard disclosing personal information about citizens. Two recent cases involving disclosure of personal information filed with the government for “public records” show two different approaches to fighting back. In Doe v. Reed, Washington Secretary of State, 130 S. Ct. 2811 (2010),…
Category: Court
Judge puts hammer down on Hurt Locker P2P subpoena
Nate Anderson writes: A federal judge in South Dakota this week quashed a US Copyright Group subpoena targeting an ISP in his state. Why? Jurisdiction, and a fax machine. Regional Internet service provider Midcontinent wasn’t amused when it received, by fax, a subpoena on August 9 that demanded Midcontinent turn over the name, address, telephone…
Pa. Teachers’ Union Loses Address Privacy Case
Mark Scolfaro reports: A Pennsylvania appeals court on Friday threw out a lawsuit filed by the state’s largest teachers’ union that sought to prevent public disclosure of public school employees’ home addresses. Commonwealth Court ruled against the Pennsylvania State Education Association, which sued the state Office of Open Records to keep it from ordering the…
NY: Judge Grants Discovery of Private Postings on Social Media
Noeleen G. Walder reports: A plaintiff must give a defendant access to private postings from two social networking sites that could contradict claims she made in a personal injury action, a Suffolk County, N.Y., judge has ruled. Acting Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Arlen Spinner (See Profile) held that precluding defendant Steelcase Inc. from accessing Kathleen…