By: Ellen Liburt Former Police Chief Claims Invasion Of Privacy
The Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal was sued a second time Oct. 5 for invasion of privacy by the city's former police chief.
The suit seeks $100 million in damages on charges that the Beacon Journal's lawyers improperly released medical records on Edward Irvine's wife, Geneva - which they'd received from the court to prepare for the first lawsuit - to the paper's reporters. The suit says the reporters then wrote stories about two instances, only one previously reported, in which Geneva Irvine received medical treatment for injuries that, she alleged, her husband had inflicted on her.
A jury ruled in March on the couple's first suit, saying reporters had acted properly in pursuing Geneva Irvine for an interview after she made allegations against her husband, who was not retired at the time. Those allegations were later dropped.
In a substantially unrelated matter, the Irvines were awarded $206,500 early this year for telephone harassment by the Beacon Journal's subscription-seeking circulation department.
Ellen Liburt (eliburt@editorandpublisher.com) is a reporter for E&P.
Related story:
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL WINS LAWSUIT (03/30/00)
Copyright 2000, Editor & Publisher.
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