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Breitbart.com Sued By ACORN For Secretly Taping Employees

by Ben Hoffman

ACORN filed suit today in Maryland against conservative filmmakers James O’Keefe, Hannah Giles and conservative Web site Breitbart.com for secretly taping the organization’s employees at its Baltimore office.

In the complaint, ACORN alleges that the filmmakers entered into the organization’s offices in July with a “hidden camera and microphone” and taped employees Tonja Thompson and Shera Williams. Both employees are listed as plaintiffs on the complaint, filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

ACORN is seeking $500,000 for each employee and $1 million for the organization in damages.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27501.html

Yep, that’s illegal.

Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:04 PM in Education, Politics   |  RSS feed |   Reply   |   Trackback URL

12 Comments to “Breitbart.com Sued By ACORN For Secretly Taping Employees”

    
  1. jonolan
    September 23, 2009 at 4:10 PM

    Actually, unless MD has some specific laws in place that go beyond the norm, it’s not illegal unless it was done for the purpose of furthering an illegal activity or for “tortious” purpose.

    See Desnick v. ABC, Inc. & Medical Laboratory Management Consultants v. ABC, Inc. for a relevant court rulings.

    Reply
    • Ben Hoffman
      September 23, 2009 at 4:20 PM

      Nope:

      Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Section 10-402
      § 10-402.

      (a) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this subtitle it is unlawful for any person to:

      (1) Wilfully intercept, endeavor to intercept, or procure any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept, any wire, oral, or electronic communication;

      (2) Wilfully disclose, or endeavor to disclose, to any other person the contents of any wire, oral, or electronic communication, knowing or having reason to know that the information was obtained through the interception of a wire, oral, or electronic communication in violation of this subtitle; or

      (3) Wilfully use, or endeavor to use, the contents of any wire, oral, or electronic communication, knowing or having reason to know that the information was obtained through the interception of a wire, oral, or electronic communication in violation of this subtitle.

      http://law.justia.com/maryland/codes/gcj/10-402.html

      Reply
      • common man
        September 24, 2009 at 11:44 PM

        There may be a law that prohibits the video taping of people without their knowledge, but the law you posted is strictly prohibiting the “interception” of electronic communication. Not the generation of a video. Either way, I still don’t want my tax money going to these people. It’s bad enough that we a paying for the salaries of people who do crimes, not just conspire to do them.

      • sleepygirl
        September 28, 2009 at 12:59 AM

        But you want your tax money to go to defense contractors like Blackwater and Wackenhut, who have gotten billions and billions more than ACORN has received over the last 15 years?

  3. Chuck Ring
    September 23, 2009 at 10:23 PM

    I didn’t know that it was important to know who Philip Klien might be. It isn’t important to me, but what is important is that the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals covers all of Maryland.

    I’m sure you know, now that I’ve clued you in, that fact is important because that is where the second appeal will be heard after any conviction in Maryland State Court(if ACORN should be so lucky). The first appeal will be held in Federal District Court in Maryland. If there is a conviction in that court, then as I said, the next appeal will be in the 4th Circuit.

    I’m sort of sorry for you, but that’s the way it works. I have no control over the courts.

    Reply
  4. Chuck Ring
    September 23, 2009 at 11:10 PM

    I have to sleep. Thanks for the dialogue, maybe again?

    Oops. Forgot, You are correct ACORN is in a pile of it now.

    I’ll have to spend more time enjoying your cartoons.

    Reply
    

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