Published: Friday, 3\/6\/2015 - Updated: 47 seconds ago SETTLEMENT OF LAWSUIT <\/p>\n
BY JENNIFER FEEHAN BLADE STAFF WRITER <\/p>\n
In what was seen as a victory for First Amendment rights, the U.S. government agreed Thursday to pay The Blade $18,000 for seizing the cameras of a photographer and deleting photographs taken outside the Lima tank plant last year. <\/p>\n
In turn, The Blade agreed to dismiss the lawsuit it filed April 4 in U.S. District Court on behalf of photographer Jetta Fraser and reporter Tyrel Linkhorn against Charles T. Hagel, then the U.S. Secretary of Defense; Lt. Col. Matthew Hodge, commandant of the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, and the military police officers involved in the March 28, 2014, incident. <\/p>\n
Fritz Byers, attorney for The Blade, said the settlement was made under the First Amendment Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits the government, in connection with the investigation of a criminal offense, from searching or seizing any work product materials possessed by a journalist. <\/p>\n
The harassment and detention of The Blades reporter and photographer, the confiscation of their equipment, and the brazen destruction of lawful photographs cannot be justified by a claim of military authority or by the supposed imperatives of the national security state, Mr. Byers said. <\/p>\n
RELATED: Read a full copy of the settlement <\/p>\n
The Blade is pleased with this resolution of the crucial First Amendment issues at stake in this matter, Mr. Byers said. <\/p>\n
John Robinson Block, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Blade, said he was \"very happy it's resolved,\" but wished the government would admit wrongdoing. <\/p>\n
\"We appear to know more about the U.S. Constitution than responsible federal defense officials. I wish they could admit in this instance, in any instance, that they were wrong and violated our rights.\" <\/p>\n
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Link: Published: Friday, 3\/6\/2015 - Updated: 47 seconds ago SETTLEMENT OF LAWSUIT BY JENNIFER FEEHAN BLADE STAFF WRITER In what was seen as a victory for First Amendment rights, the U.S. government agreed Thursday to pay The Blade $18,000 for seizing the cameras of a photographer and deleting photographs taken outside the Lima tank plant last year Continue reading
\nThe Blade, U.S. settle suit<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"