NSA Telephone Wiretapping and Privacy Violations Class Action
Introduction
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, is a nationwide law firm that represents consumers in a wide range of cases to safeguard consumer and privacy rights.
Massive Violation of Privacy Rights of Americans Reported
On May 11, 2006, USA Today reported that after the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, AT&T, Verizon, MCI and BellSouth secretly provided records on tens of millions of customers' phone calls to the National Security Agency (NSA).
The privacy policies of telephone companies require a warrant or subpoena before either company will share customers' data with government officials. The privacy policy of AT&T, formerly known as SBC, states, "We must disclose information, when requested, to comply with court orders or subpoenas." Verizon Communications states discloses customer data when "required by law and when we believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights and/or to comply with a judicial proceeding, court order or legal process."
Class Action Lawsuit Filed
On May 30, 2006, two subscribers of phone service with AT&T filed suit against the company for secretly providing private customer telephone call records to the federal government, without a court-authorized warrant or subpoena.
The nationwide class action lawsuit alleges AT&T violated federal law in providing the NSA with its customers' call-detail records and that a plaintiff and the class are entitled to damages.
Court Denies Government Motion To Dismiss
On July 20, 2006, in a related case, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker denied a motion by the federal government to dismiss a privacy-right’s group’s lawsuit against AT&T for allegedly cooperating in illegal government electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens, and rejected the claim that such litigation threatens national security.
"Dismissing this case at the outset would sacrifice liberty for no apparent enhancement of security," said Judge Walker in his order.
The court ruled that AT&T and the Bush Administration have already disclosed, for all practical purposes, that the company, "assists the government in monitoring communication content" as part of federal anti-terrorism efforts. Allowing private parties to claim that their rights were violated by the company’s role in the program would not expose state secrets or assist terrorists, Judge Walker said.
It was the first ruling in the nation on the administration's claim that all of the roughly 30 lawsuits challenging the electronic surveillance program must be dismissed because they threaten to expose state secrets.
Contact National Plaintiffs' Rights Attorneys
Subscribers of AT&T, Verizon, MCI and BellSouth who would like to submit a complaint concerning the NSA wiretapping and learn more about their legal rights are welcome to contact Lieff Cabraser. There is no obligation or charge for our review of your complaint.
About Lieff Cabraser
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is a sixty-plus attorney law firm that has represented plaintiffs nationwide since 1972. We have offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. We represent plaintiffs in class and group actions and in individual lawsuits in cases involving substantial losses. For the last seven years, the National Law Journal has selected Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs' law firms in the nation.
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