Date: 09-28-1999;
Publication: The Washington Times; Author: Jerry Seper
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 A federal judge in Los Angeles yesterday ordered a permanent injunction against the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith stemming from a class-action lawsuit claiming the ADL was illegally spying on several Arab-American and other civil rights groups. U.S. District Judge Richard Paez approved a final settlement in the 6-year-old case, ordering the ADL permanently enjoined from engaging in any illegal information gathering and saying it had to provide an annual statement to its legal counsel for the next four years explaining the steps it has taken to remain in compliance. "It has been a long time coming, but well worth the wait," said Hussein Ibish, a spokesman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which filed the suit. Mr. Ibish said the ruling "brings to an end an era of abuse," and vindicates the committee's view the ADL had "engaged in illegal activities to undermine the work of such groups and damage the cause and reputation of the Arab-American community." The ADL, in a statement, denied any wrongdoing and noted there was no court finding of any illegality in the organization's work. It said it was "pleased to finally resolve the litigation, which will now allow us to devote all our resources to our work." The ADL also said it had agreed to an injunction that "explicitly recognizes ADL's right to gather information in any lawful and constitutionally protected manner, which we have always done and will continue to do." The ADL statement said the organization "voluntarily agreed to edit out a very small amount of information and to contribute $25,000 towards a community relations fund to be jointly administered by representatives of ADL and the plaintiff class." In October 1993, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee charged in a lawsuit that the ADL knowingly financed illegal spying on 10, 000 people. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, sought both an injunction to prevent further spying and unspecified damages for violations of state and federal constitutional provisions and other laws. The suit was filed on behalf of more than 800 groups and individuals, including Greenpeace, the United Farm Workers Union, ACT UP, Action for Animals and the American Indian Movement. It said the ADL carried out "surveillance and gathered data on the lawful activities of private persons and organizations involved in civil rights and social justice struggles" for the past 25 years - in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington. ADL officials at the time described the suit as "without merit" and said the organization had conducted "its fact-finding seriously, professionally and lawfully." They also charged that conspiracy theories outlined in the suit were "completely false" and designed to highlight the committee's political agenda. According to the suit, the ADL employed operatives with code names - including "Hot Spurs" and "Scumbag" - who raided trash bins, infiltrated meetings and obtained confidential law enforcement information from police agencies, the dissemination of which is illegal. The suit said the operation included an attempt by the ADL to hide the organization as the source of financing for its operatives and that its major undercover informant, alleged to be Roy "Cal" Bullock, was secretly paid through a tax lawyer in Los Angeles. It also said Arab-Americans were the major target of the spying operation. Other believed targets included people from about 500 political and ethnic groups, including the anti-apartheid movement, the black community and various Central American groups. Jerry Seper, Judge enjoins ADL in lawsuit claiming spying on groups; Jewish agency denies Arab accusations. , The Washington Times, 09-28-1999, pp A6. |