Reporter does not have to turn over tapes p. 13

By: Editorial Staff

A REPORTER WHO interviewed two women regarding sexual harassment charges against their employer does not have to surrender her tapes in the face of a subpoena, a federal court in Texas ruled.
Colleen O'Connor of the Dallas Morning News and the newspaper had fought a legal battle to withhold the tapes from lawyers for Centennial Homes, the defendant in a $12.3 million lawsuit brought by the women.
The defense had hoped to find statements in the interviews that were inconsistent with the women's deposition.
O'Connor and another reporter, Diana Kinde, published a story about the interviews on Page 1 of the Business section. One of the women, a 21-year-old former model-home hostess for the real estate company, was quoted as saying the sexual advances of a male supervisor had forced her to quit her job. She said the man "made rude comments about my body," referring to her breasts as "bodacious."
According to the story, the second woman was fired because she supported the alleged harassment victim. Both women were named in the article, prompting the defense lawyers to claim that O'Connor's material should be turned over since confidentiality was not a factor.
"They never asked for confidentiality," O'Connor said in an interview.