Courthouse News reports a class action lawsuit [pdf] in Cuyahoga County Court alleges that the Bureau of Research and its owner, Stedson McIntyre, bought confidential claimant information from an employee of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for nearly a decade and disclosed it to third parties – including a felon. The claimants also allege…
Fourth Amendment cases: forcible catheterization, DNA swabbing
A newly filed lawsuit and an appellate decision involve Fourth Amendment rights protecting against forcible and warrantless taking of biological samples…. Courthouse News summarizes the background of a lawsuit (pdf) filed by a man who says police had him forcibly catheterized when he couldn’t produce a urine sample. A man claims a Lawrenceburg police officer…
Report card tracks the ebb and flow of secrecy
Steven Aftergood of FAS writes: The vast apparatus of government secrecy persisted through the last year with only limited changes in the contours of its multi-billion dollar operations, according to the latest “secrecy report card” published by Openthegovernment.org, a coalition of organizations working for increased transparency. The new report card (pdf), prepared by Patrice McDermott…
Locklear files another class action over TCPA
Kelly Holleran reports that Locklear Electric has filed another class-action lawsuit alleging that companies violated that Telephone Consumer Protection Act by sending them unsolicited (“junk”) faxes: Lead class plaintiff Locklear Electric of Wood River claims it received a faxed advertisement from Florissant Injury and Pain Relief Center and from William Straughn on Sept. 18, 2005….