SALT LAKE CITY — Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson has filed a class-action lawsuit against the National Security Agency, former President George W. Bush and former Vice-President Dick Cheney over accusations of spying on everyone in Salt Lake City during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Anderson accused the NSA and the Bush administration of blanket surveillance over everyone in Salt Lake City and the Olympic venues from the start of the opening ceremonies until the closing ceremonies two weeks later.
From the complaint:
The plaintiffs in Anderson’s lawsuit are: Josie Valdez, the former vice-chair of the Utah Democratic Party; Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper; Anderson’s former spokeswoman and former Salt Lake City Councilwoman Deeda Seed; former Dead Goat Saloon owner Daniel Darger; author William Bagley; and University of Utah English professor Thomas Huckin.
The lawsuit claims a Fourth and First Amendment violation and seeks class-action status. In his request for damages, Anderson asks on behalf of his clients an injunction “prohibiting Defendants’ continued warrantless surveillance of communications” and also asking the NSA to give his clients the data that was allegedly taken during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
A spokeswoman for the NSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read the lawsuit here:
