Navy SEALs sue AP over Iraq prisoner photos News
Navy SEALs sue AP over Iraq prisoner photos

[JURIST] Six members of a Navy SEALs unit and two Navy wives sued the Associated Press Tuesday, stating that the news agency endangered the servicemen's lives and invaded their privacy by publishing private photos showing the men interacting with Iraqi prisoners. The lawsuit states the agency erred by not obscuring the identity of the six Navy SEALs in photos that accompanied a story distributed worldwide earlier this month. The story was written by San Diego reporter Seth Hettena, who is named as a defendant; the lawsuit claims that Hettena took the photos from a private, password protected website of a Navy wife. After publishing the story, the Navy found that most of the photos were taken for legitimate purposes and depicted approved procedures. AP’s assistant general counsel stated that the claims do not have a solid basis in law. The lawsuit asks for unspecified damages, including punitive damages, and a preliminary injunction barring the AP from further use of the photos and requiring the agency to protect the SEALs' identities. AP has more.