Court Clears Couple to Sue U.S. Agents

[maddezmom]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - At 59, Richard Hallock says he's too old to re-create the commercial software that took him 12 years to develop and was wiped out in an apparent identity theft case that led federal agents to raid the wrong man.

The computers and backup discs were seized from his upstate New York home office on June 8, 2000, by federal agents who suspected him of sponsoring a child pornography Web site. The equipment was returned six months later and Hallock was never charged.

~snip~

Hallock is suing several U.S. Customs agents for $4.4 million for the computers and hard drives he says they damaged four years ago, ultimately driving him out of business and into bankruptcy.

Last month, a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that Hallock's lawsuit can continue against the agents who seized his computers. An earlier lawsuit against the government was dismissed. A status conference has been scheduled for Wednesday.

``Apparently, Richard Hallock was the victim of identity theft, and no evidence of any violation of the cited statutes was found in the materials seized,'' the appeals judges wrote.

more:http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4672168,00.html

[UL_Approved]

1. This is about time

Its good to see some measure of accountability in this country these days. Allowing a civil suit is the first step. The Keystone Gestapo need to get put down.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Have you noticed...

That when it comes to software like this, the government seem to have a standard MO of seizing it and keeping it?

Think: PROMIS. They went on to use that software as well.