US pays $5.8 million to not admit to wrong doing
Congratulations Dr. Steven Hatfill on pinning the US government to the wall. After 7 years in court Hatfill settled for $5.8 million after suing the US government for privacy violations involved with the anthrax terrorism in 2001.
Believing that Hatfill was involved in the anthrax attacks the US spied on him at one point 24 hours a day and ordered his university to fire him. Earlier this year US Judge Reggie Walton said, “There is not a scintilla of evidence that would indicate that Dr Hatfill had anything to do with this.”
This was apparently a cue for the government to cover it’s um…rear. The lawyers quickly dolled out the $5.8 million and issued the following statement:
“The United States does not admit to any violation of the Privacy Act and continues to deny all liability in connection with Dr. Hatfill’s claims.”
I love the USA Today’s opinion for the case:
In settling the case, the government denied doing anything wrong — but it paid the sort of money that suggests it did something very stupid. The ‘person of interest’ gambit can amount to public conviction of innocent suspects without trial.
So even though I’m sad to kiss $5.8 million of my taxpayer money good-bye (in the name of government stupidity), I’m glad that Privacy Rights won in this case.
2 comments July 1st, 2008
