News (Media Awareness Project) - US MA: Wiretap Suit Against Police Settled |
| Title: | US MA: Wiretap Suit Against Police Settled |
| Published On: | 1998-03-06 |
| Source: | The Standard-Times, Serving the South Coast of Massachusetts |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-07 14:26:17 |
WIRETAP SUIT AGAINST POLICE SETTLED
BOSTON -- The City of Fall River settled out of court this week a 1994 suit
brought by a former Charlton Hospital billing clerk who claimed she lost
her job as a result of illegal police wiretaps and false allegations.
The original suit sought $200,000, but the amount of the settlement is unknown.
Donna Connolly, of 31 Moody St., Fall River, alleged in the suit that Fall
River Police Detective Robert Aguiar had obtained a copy of a secretly
tape-recorded conversation between her and her boyfriend, Robert Farias,
and played it for an unidentified security person at the hospital,
according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.
The conversation, which she claimed led to her dismissal, was recorded on a
telephone line in the booking room at police headquarters, according to the
suit. Mr. Farias was using that telephone line to call Ms. Connolly to
arrange for bail after he had been arrested by Det. Aguiar on several drug
charges.
According to court documents, Mr. Farias, asked Ms. Connolly to arrange
bail and to use her computer at work to obtain Det. Aguiar's address.
The lawsuit asserted that neither Ms. Connolly nor Mr. Farias were aware
the telephone line was tapped.
The security officer at the hospital later reported that Det. Aguiar
visited him at the hospital, played the recording and claimed that Ms.
Connolly had conspired with Mr. Farias to obtain the addresses of police
officers from billing records at the hospital, according to the suit.
The lawsuit alleged that Chief of Police Francis McDonald was aware the
phone line in the station's booking room had been the subject of taping for
many years and was only discontinued after the lawsuit was filed.
Efforts to reach Ms. Connolly were unsuccessful
Deputy Police Chief Richard Thorpe said the out-of-court settlement didn't
necessarily mean the city admitted any wrongdoing.
"I don't believe anybody admitted to anything," the deputy chief said.
Police Chief Francis McDonald is on vacation.
"I can assure you there is nothing (tape) on that line now," Deputy Thorpe
said. "I'm not saying there was anything on at that time either."
He said he was unaware the court suit had been settled.
BOSTON -- The City of Fall River settled out of court this week a 1994 suit
brought by a former Charlton Hospital billing clerk who claimed she lost
her job as a result of illegal police wiretaps and false allegations.
The original suit sought $200,000, but the amount of the settlement is unknown.
Donna Connolly, of 31 Moody St., Fall River, alleged in the suit that Fall
River Police Detective Robert Aguiar had obtained a copy of a secretly
tape-recorded conversation between her and her boyfriend, Robert Farias,
and played it for an unidentified security person at the hospital,
according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.
The conversation, which she claimed led to her dismissal, was recorded on a
telephone line in the booking room at police headquarters, according to the
suit. Mr. Farias was using that telephone line to call Ms. Connolly to
arrange for bail after he had been arrested by Det. Aguiar on several drug
charges.
According to court documents, Mr. Farias, asked Ms. Connolly to arrange
bail and to use her computer at work to obtain Det. Aguiar's address.
The lawsuit asserted that neither Ms. Connolly nor Mr. Farias were aware
the telephone line was tapped.
The security officer at the hospital later reported that Det. Aguiar
visited him at the hospital, played the recording and claimed that Ms.
Connolly had conspired with Mr. Farias to obtain the addresses of police
officers from billing records at the hospital, according to the suit.
The lawsuit alleged that Chief of Police Francis McDonald was aware the
phone line in the station's booking room had been the subject of taping for
many years and was only discontinued after the lawsuit was filed.
Efforts to reach Ms. Connolly were unsuccessful
Deputy Police Chief Richard Thorpe said the out-of-court settlement didn't
necessarily mean the city admitted any wrongdoing.
"I don't believe anybody admitted to anything," the deputy chief said.
Police Chief Francis McDonald is on vacation.
"I can assure you there is nothing (tape) on that line now," Deputy Thorpe
said. "I'm not saying there was anything on at that time either."
He said he was unaware the court suit had been settled.
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