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 that this disclosure violated his privacy and possibly the privacy laws of the state of Virginia violates, reports unknownland.com.
The data, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, was included in an August 9, 2023 article in The Intercept, which former CIA staffer Tracy Walder called “a smear campaign.”
These police report detailed incidents in 2014 and 2018 at Grusch’s residence in Leesburg, Virginia. The 2018 incident involved treatment for severe depression due to combat-related PTSD and the recent death of a friend.
Despite this, Grusch openly discussed his mental health issues and was cleared for duty and given a high security clearance. He revealed this to investigative journalist Ross Coulthart shortly before his claims about UAP-related programs hiding from Congressional oversight were published by The Debrief and NewsNation on June 5, 2023.
“I served in Afghanistan and I had a friend who committed suicide after I came back,” Grusch said in an August 8, 2023 NewsNation segment.
“I’ve been working on that for a few years and, as a veteran, I’m proud that I didn’t become a statistic. I have completely resolved that problem in my life, and it no longer affects me.
The $2.1 million lawsuit, filed on July 16, 2024, alleges that the release of private information violated the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
The law states that “recordings, records, reports and papers” as published by The Intercept “shall not be subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act,” as provided in section 37.2-818 of the Code of Virginia’s Commitment hearing for involuntary admission .
“David Grusch and his attorney clearly believe that the Loudon County Sheriff’s Department had nothing to do with releasing what was essentially David’s private health information,” Coulthart noted in a July 31 post. NewsNation video.
He emphasized that “all U.S. citizens have very important privacy rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which sets a clear standard that personal health records cannot be disclosed without consent.
“This privacy right should have been taken into consideration when deciding whether to release details of David’s mental trauma and personal health issues under FOI laws. This failure will likely be a key issue in David’s multi-million dollar lawsuit against the agents who released his private medical treatment information without proper authorization.
