''Wilson v. Libby'', 498 F. Supp. 2d 74 (D.D.C. 2007), affirmed, 535 F.3d 697 (D.C. Cir. 2008), was a civil

lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil act ...

filed in the

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District o ...

on 13 July, 2006, by

Valerie Plame Valerie Elise Plame (born August 13, 1963) is an American writer, spy novelist, and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. As the subject of the 2003 Plame affair, also known as the CIA leak scandal, Plame's identity as a CIA officer ...

and her husband, former Ambassador

Joseph C. Wilson Joseph Charles Wilson IV (November 6, 1949 – September 27, 2019) was an American diplomat who was best known for his 2002 trip to Niger to investigate allegations that Saddam Hussein was attempting to purchase yellowcake uranium; his ''New Y ...

, IV, against Richard Armitage (individually) for allegedly revealing her identity and thus irresponsibly infringing upon her Constitutional rights and against Vice President of the United States

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former ...

Lewis Libby Irve Lewis "Scooter" Libby (born August 22, 1950) is an American lawyer and former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney known for his high-profile indictment. From 2001 to 2005, Libby held the offices of Assistant to the Vice President ...

Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on Augu ...

, and the unnamed others (together) because the latter, in addition, allegedly "illegally conspired to reveal her identity." Cary O'Reilly, (

Bloomberg L.P. Bloomberg L.P. is a privately held financial, software, data, and media company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was co-founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981, with Thomas Secunda, Duncan MacMillan, Charles Zegar, and a 1 ...

)
"Cheney, Rove, Libby Sued by Ex-CIA Agent Over Leak" (Update)
Bloomberg.com, last updated July 13, 2006, accessed May 5, 2007.Eric M. Weiss and Charles Lane

''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', July 14, 2007, accessed May 5,.2007. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed.

Parties

The plaintiffs in the suit are former CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson and her husband Joseph Wilson."Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson Sue Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Scooter Libby"
"Valerie Plame Wilson, Joseph Wilson, IV v. I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, Karl C. Rove, Richard Cheney, and, as amended, John Does 1–10",

FindLaw FindLaw is a business of Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation ( ) is a Canadian multinational media conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where it is headquartered at the Bay Adelaide Centre. Thom ...

, July 13, 2006, accessed May 5, 2007. The defendants in the suit are I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the Vice President's former

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

;

, White House Chief of Staff to the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

; Richard Armitage, former

United States Deputy Secretary of State The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the secretary of state. The current deputy secretary of state is Wendy Ruth Sherman, serving since April 2021 under secretary of state Antony Blinken. If the secreta ...

(who was added to the complaint in September 2006); and ten unnamed others. Unlike their charges against Rove, Cheney, and Libby, "claiming that they had violated her constitutional rights and discredited her by disclosing that she was an undercover CIA operative," the Wilsons sued Armitage "for violating the 'Wilsons' constitutional right to privacy, Mrs. Wilson's constitutional right to property, and for committing the tort of publication of private facts.'"

Melanie Sloan Melanie Sloan (born December 16, 1965) is an attorney, former counsel for the House Judiciary Committee, and the former Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit government ethics and accountability wa ...

, Executive Director,

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and nonpartisan U.S. government ethics and accountability watchdog organization.''Washington Information Directory 2017-2018''; CQ Press; 2017; Pg. 327 Founded ...

(CREW), press release, as qtd. i
"Armitage Added to Plame Law Suit"

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 4 ...

, September 13, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2006.

Dismissal

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District ...

Judge

John D. Bates John Deacon Bates (born October 11, 1946) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He was appointed by President George W. Bush in December 2001, and has adjudicated several cases ...

dismissed the Wilsons' lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds on July 19, 2007, stating that the Wilsons had not shown that the case belonged in federal court.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

"Valerie Plame's Lawsuit Dismissed"
''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', July 19, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2007."Judge Tosses Out Ex-Spy's Lawsuit Against Cheney in CIA Leak Case"
CNN.com, July 19, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2007.

Carol D. Leonnig Carol Duhurst Leonnig is an American investigative journalist. She has been a staff writer at ''The Washington Post'' since 2000, and was part of a team of national security reporters that won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for reporti ...

"Plame's Lawsuit Against Top Officials Dismissed"
''

'', July 20, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2007. Bates also ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction over the claim because the couple had not yet exhausted their administrative remedies. Bates noted that "there can be no serious dispute that the act of rebutting public criticism, such as that levied by Mr. Wilson against the Bush administration's handling of prewar foreign intelligence, by speaking with members of the press is within the scope of defendants' duties as high-level Executive Branch officials," even if "the alleged means by which defendants chose to rebut Mr. Wilson's comments and attack his credibility" were "highly unsavory"; but Judge Bates also acknowledged that the lawsuit raised "important questions relating to the propriety of actions undertaken by our highest government officials."Qtd. in Matt Apuzzo (

),
"Plame Lawsuit Dismissed in CIA Leak Case"
''

The Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 ...

'', July 19, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2007.

Appeal

On July 20, 2007, the Wilsons and

, of

(CREW), which represents them, announced publicly that they had filed an appeal of the U.S. District Court's decision to dismiss their lawsuit,"Statements and Responses: Statement on Ambassador Joseph and Valerie Wilson's Appeal"
The Joseph and Valerie Wilson Legal Support Trust, wilsonsupport.org, July 20, 2007, accessed June 10, 2008 pdated version of site Cf
"Statement on Ambassador Joseph and Valerie Wilsons' Appeal Filed on July 20"

(CREW), July 20, 2007. Retrieved July 27, 2007."Legal Filings: Wilsons' Opposition to Defendants' and the United States' Motion to Dismiss"
The Joseph and Valerie Wilson Legal Support Trust, wilsonsupport.org, January 16, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2008. which was heard on May 8, 2008."Legal Filings: Current Status of Civil Suit: Update on the Wilsons' Lawsuit"
The Joseph and Valerie Wilson Legal Support Trust, wilsonsupport.org, May 9, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2008. On August 12, 2008, in a 2–1 decision, the three-judge panel of the

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. federal appellate co ...

upheld the dismissal.Susan Decker and Cary O'Reilly
"Cheney, Rove, Libby Win Plame Suit Dismissal Appeal (Update2)"

Bloomberg.com Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg Televi ...

, August 12, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2008. On behalf of the Wilsons, Sloan said that CREW "is considering asking the full D.C. Circuit to review the case and an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court." Agreeing with the Bush administration, the Obama Justice Department argues the Wilsons have no legitimate grounds to sue. On the current justice department position, Sloan, stated: "We are deeply disappointed that the Obama administration has failed to recognize the grievous harm top Bush White House officials inflicted on Joe and Valerie Wilson. The government’s position cannot be reconciled with President Obama’s oft-stated commitment to once again make government officials accountable for their actions.""Obama Administration Opposes Joe and Valerie Wilson's Request for Supreme Court Appeal in Suit Against Cheney, Rove, Libby and Armitage"

(CREW), May 20, 2009, accessed May 22, 2009. On June 21, 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal."Supreme Court will not revive Valerie Plame lawsuit"
'' WashingtonExaminer.com'', June 21, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012.

Notes

External links

* {{caselaw source , case = ''Wilson v. Libby'', 535 F.3d 697 (D.C. Cir. 2008) , googlescholar = https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9102816748462448364 , leagle =https://www.leagle.com/decision/infco20080812087
"Defendant Vice President of the United States Richard B. Cheney's Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint"
in ''Plame v. Cheney'' 'Wilson v. Cheney'' In "Documents: Plame/Wilson Civil Case", members.cox.net, November 14, 2006. Accessed June 10, 2008.
"Legal Filings"The Joseph and Valerie Wilson Legal Support Trust
wilsonsupport.org. Accessed June 10, 2008. (Contains Wilsons' legal motions and other legal filings.)

at

(legal documents). Accessed May 5, 2007. 2007 in United States case law 2008 in United States case law United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit cases United States District Court for the District of Columbia cases Plame affair

Parties

Dismissal

Appeal

See also

Notes

External links