Attkisson v. Holder: Journalist Sues Attorney General and Federal Officials Over Alleged Government Computer Intrusion
On January 5, 2015, Sharyl Attkisson and her family filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against then-Attorney General Eric Holder, then-Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, and unnamed federal agents, alleging that the Justice Department had unlawfully intruded into her home computers and telephones in retaliation for her reporting.
The complaint, filed by Attkisson, her husband James, and her daughter, sought damages under Bivens for alleged Fourth and First Amendment violations, plus statutory claims under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The filing referenced the CBS-commissioned and independent forensic examinations, and alleged that federal actors installed remote-access spyware, exfiltrated files, and planted classified documents on the Attkissons' computers. The Justice Department denied involvement. The federal FTCA and Bivens claims were largely dismissed on jurisdictional grounds in 2017; Attkisson refiled related civil claims in Maryland state court, where litigation against former federal employees has continued through multiple appellate cycles. The case has been repeatedly cited by press-freedom groups as one of the most prominent journalist-surveillance suits of the post-2013 period.