Posted on 09/18/2009 7:21:41 AM PDT by jeffq73
Former ACORN workers in the city are planning to file a civil complaint against the makers of the video, according to the website Investigative Voice.City state's attorney Patricia Jessamy said on WBAL's Shari Elicker Show that she could not prosecute based on restrictions for evidence obtained illegally.
Maryland law requires two party consent to be recorded.
Former employees of the beleaguered community activist group ACORN are planning to file a criiminal complaint in Baltimore against the creators of the series of videos that have spurred outrage against the organization, knowledgable sources have told Investigative Voice.The filing could come as soon as Friday afternoon, sources said.
The criminal complaint will allege that recordings of the groups employees giving advice on how to evade taxes and house underage South American sex workers to journalists posing as a pimp and prostitute were obtained illegally.
The criminal complaint is expected to name both James OKeefe, 25, and Hannah Giles, 20, along with the owner of the website Breitbart, which initially released the videos.
ACORN is also contemplating a civil suit seeking an injunction aginst O'Keefe and Giles to prevent them from distributing the videos, according to an an email.
Judges are easily bought and sold.
Exactly !
This will be a defense fund for which I will most certainly enjoy donating money!!
There were two parties involved, the girl and the guy. They gave consent.
When Andrew Breitbart was on Hannity the other night, he strongly implied there are many more tapes "in the can". The lady involved said there was not one office they visited where they were turned away. I would count on a mass dumping of dozens of tapes if ACORN tries to go after the filmmakers. In any case, the courts have consistently shown a reluctance to impose "prior restraint" on journalists - if ACORN gets an injunction banning the showing of these five, I bet 5 more get released.
Acorn’s lawyers are probably getting the “correct” judges lined up...
I'm not sure what state you're living in, but in most states in which I'm familiar, that too would be violation of law.
In most states (probably all states), you can't videotape - and maybe can't audio record - somewhere where they have a clear expectation of privacy. A "changing room" or bathroom presents a clear expectation of privacy.P> In this case, it's a little more complicated. Because of the advent and subsequent ubiquity of security cameras, you may be videotaped virtually anywhere that doesn't have a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is effectively anyplace that isn't bathroom or changing room or someplace similar. So, these journalists aren't in jeopardy for the videotaping, per se.
The audio portion of that tape, however, presents a different set of problems. From reading the MD law (§ 10-402), and the court rulings associated with that law, it's clear that these kids have some potential problems on their hands if, after reviewing the complaint, the prosecutor decides to move forward with the case. I'm HIGHLY doubtful that a prosecutor would abuse his discretion in a case involving these circumstances. I just don't think this is moving forward to prosecution, irrespective of ACORN's or their employee's protestations.
When Media Darling John Stewart is calling the State Run Media on their non-coverage of this story, I am sorry stick a fork in them, the State Run Media is incompetent.
Lol! Thx for the laugh this morn!
I’d bet these displaced ACORN workers will gravitate to some of the other community organizations of lesser notoriety than ACORN that exist in localities rather than Nationally.
I’d bet it wouldn’t take too much to expose their association with ACORN either.
I’d bet it’s possible to create a negative aura about everyone of them that would destroy any of their type of organizations credibility by 2010.
Linda Tripp may have saved Monica Lewinski from being Arkancided by taping her.
Excellent. they walked rightinto a trap. Can’t wait to depose them. In most jurisdictions, you are allowed to ask anything that “could reasonably lead to admissable evidence”.
ACORN can be third partied in. At the very least they will be fact witnesses that can be deposed and have records that can be subpoenad.
Do the new federal whistle-blower and the “protect the reporter” statutes have any influence on how this will go forward?
Oh goody! I can’t wait for discovery. It will keep the story in the news and alive for months. In the mean time, the evidence builds tying in odumbas* and his pals Jarrett, Axelgreaseball and others with their dirty deeds in ACORN, SEIU and their offspring.
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