UFO whistleblower sues over smear campaign and privacy violation
UAP whistleblower David Grusch has filed a lawsuit against the Loudon County Sheriff’s Department for releasing his confidential medical records related to a mental health episode in 2018. The lawsuit claims this disclosure violated his privacy and potentially Virginia state privacy laws, reports unknowncountry.com.
The records, obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, were featured in an August 9, 2023 article in The Intercept, which former CIA Staff Operations Officer Tracy Walder called “a smear campaign.”
These police reports detailed incidents in 2014 and 2018 at Grusch’s Leesburg, Virginia residence. The 2018 incident involved treatment for severe depression due to combat-related PTSD and a friend’s recent death.
Despite this, Grusch openly discussed his mental health struggles and had been cleared for duty and high security clearance. He revealed this to investigative journalist Ross Coulthart shortly before his claims about UAP-related programs hiding from Congressional oversight were publicized on June 5, 2023, by The Debrief and NewsNation.
“I served in Afghanistan, and I had a friend that committed suicide after I got back,” Grusch said in an August 8, 2023 NewsNation segment.
“I dealt with that for a couple of years, and I’m proud as a veteran not to become a statistic. Totally took care of that issue in my life, and it doesn’t affect me anymore.”
Filed on July 16, 2024, the $2.1 million lawsuit argues that releasing private records violated the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
The Act states that “recordings, records, reports, and documents” like those published by The Intercept “shall not be subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act,” as per section 37.2-818 of the Code of Virginia’s Commitment hearing for involuntary admission.
“David Grusch and his lawyer clearly believe that the Loudon County Sheriff’s Department had no business releasing what was essentially David’s private health information,” Coulthart noted in a July 31 NewsNation video.
He emphasized that “all US citizens have very important privacy rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which sets a clear standard that private medical records must not be disclosed without authorization.
“This privacy right should have been considered when deciding to release details of David’s mental trauma and personal health issues under the FOI laws. This failure will likely be a key issue in David’s multi-million-dollar lawsuit against the officers who released his private health treatment records without proper authorization.”
