Federal judge says fired deputy can sue animal defense group for outing him as whistleblower

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) made an oral promise to a former sheriff deputy to keep his identity secret when he described how a co-worker allegedly abused police dogs but failed to keep their promise. The deputy can sue PETA for outing him, a federal judge ruled. PETA claimed that since [...]

California: Former Manhattan Beach city manager sues for invasion of privacy

A former Manhattan Beach city manager is suing the city for disclosing records that he claims were supposed to be secret as part of a severance package. The city attorney said the city was acting in the public interest in its commitment to transparency. The former city manager felt that allegations of sexual harassment made [...]

A&A: City gives tax-free deal to developer, details kept secret

Q: The city recently entered into an agreement with a developer of a multi-million dollar resort hotel to forgo collecting transit occupancy taxes (TOT) of many million dollars. The city’s financial consultant analyzed the request from the developer and created several reports that were not made available to the public. The reports were presented to [...]

Federal Court rejects Plame’s argument to allow her to publicize details of CIA service

Former CIA operative Valerie Plame claimed that after the government outed her as an agent and her employment record became part of the congressional record that the First Amendment allowed her to void her confidentiality agreement with the CIA and reveal details of her CIA service. A federal appeals court rejected her arguments citing national [...]