Bridgeport Law Firm Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder Files Suit On Behalf Of FBI Agents

Yesterday, the firm filed suit against both as yet unamed defendants as well as the U.S. Department of Justice and the United States Of America on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association (FBIAA) for multiple causes of action relating to the current administrations ongoing actions concerning the potential threats to those agents.

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osh Koskoff, who is well known for his firm's achieving a one billion dollar judgment against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on behalf of Sandy Hook families for his repeated false claims that the tragic killing of 20 young children and 6 staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax and that the parents faked their own children's deaths.

The 23 page Complaint filed in the Federal District Court for the District Of Columbia, alleges, in part actions called for by one of the leaders of the of the proud boys, Enrique Tarrio, against one of the Special Agents by name. Tarrio was pardoned by Trump along with all of those convicted for the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

The allegations also includes, among others First Amendment and Due Process Violations including "Intentional Violation of Privacy Interests and reputational harm.

The suit references "The FBI employs approximately 13,800 Special Agents. Approximately 12,000 of the FBI’s 13,800 Special Agents are members of FBIAA."

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National new reporting has claimed that something in the neighborhood of 6,000 agents and FBI employees were somehow connected to the the investigation of the riot at the Capitol.

The remedies requested in the suit include "Enjoin Defendants from any further collection or dissemination of personally identifiable information of Plaintiffs and other similarly situated persons; and Writs of Mandamus. Mandamus is an order from a court to an inferior government official ordering the government official to properly fulfill their official duties or correct an abuse of discretion. See e.g. Cheney v. United States Dist. Court For D.C. (2004) . In theory, the Court could order officials of the DOJ and others to take certain actions as part of the relief sought by the plaintiffs.

To follow this case as it progresses visit the Federal Court Website: USCourts.gov and click on Search For A Case

The Press Release from the Koskoff firm is as follows:

FBI Agents Association Files Temporary Restraining Order to Block Trump Administration from Releasing Names of Special Agents Targeted for Work on January 6 Investigations

WASHINGTON, DC – The Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association (FBIAA), alongside several anonymous FBI Agents and employees, today filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prevent the mass public release of names of Agents and FBI employees who worked on cases related to the criminal events that occurred on January 6, 2021.

The TRO, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, asserts that there is clear evidence the Justice Department intends to publicly disclose the names of employees it plans to demote, transfer, or terminate—apparently as a form of retaliation and stigmatization. The TRO argues that such disclosure would violate both statutory and constitutional law.

“FBI Special Agents who risk their lives protecting the country from criminals and terrorists are now being placed on lists and having their careers jeopardized simply for doing their jobs,” said FBIAA President Natalie Bara.  “Exposing the names of FBI Agents and employees on these lists would put the safety of these individuals and their families at risk. Further, this reckless action would create a chilling effect within the law enforcement community and weaken the Bureau’s ability to combat criminal and national security threats.”

“The DOJ’s plan to release the names of FBI agents who investigated January 6th is an appalling attack on non-partisan public servants who have dedicated their lives to protecting our communities and our nation. It is clear that the threatened disclosure is a prelude to an unlawful purge of the FBI driven solely by the Trump Administration’s vengeful and political motivations,” said attorney for the FBI agents Chris Mattei of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. “Releasing the names of these agents would ignite a firestorm of harassment towards them and their families and it must be stopped immediately.”

In recent weeks, as part of their Senate nomination hearings, Attorney General-nominee Pam Bondi and FBI Director-nominee Kash Patel both committed that FBI Agents would be afforded due process and protected from retaliation based on their case assignments. Director-nominee Patel further reiterated this commitment in a meeting with the FBI Agents Association, where he emphasized that Agents would not face retribution for carrying out their lawful duties. The public exposure of Agent and employee names would directly contradict these commitments. 

"Releasing the names of the FBI agents would create a significant harm to the agents and their families. We oppose releasing names of those agents who were fulfilling their duties as federal law enforcement officers, said a Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) spokesperson. 

Today’s legal filing urges the Court to intervene to prevent the public release of Agents’ identities to uphold the principles of fairness, protect those who serve in good faith, and ensure that FBI Agents can perform their vital mission of safeguarding the American people.