ADL Calls Lawsuit by Arab Americans Without Merit, Politically Motivated

The Anti-Defamation League is saying that a lawsuit filed against it last week by Arab American and other organizations is “without merit.”

The civil suit was filed in federal court here Oct. 21 by 12 Arab American and other groups. It charges that the veteran Jewish defense agency conducted “secret spying activities” against their members.

The suit evolved from a San Francisco police probe of allegations that ADL used confidential law enforcement information for a private national intelligence operation that kept tabs on thousands of American organizations and individuals.

No formal charges have been filed against ADL, but The Washington Post reported last week that evidence in the case might be submitted to a San Francisco grand jury on Nov. 3.

ADL officials have consistently rejected the allegations.

In a statement issued last week, ADL said that “the conspiracy theories outlined in the complaint are completely false and serve only to highlight the plaintiffs’ political agenda.”

The statement also noted that “ADL conducts its fact-finding seriously, professionally and lawfully.

“Despite the transparent objectives of those bringing this suit, ADL will not be deterred from its mandate to counter extremism in defense of American democracy.

“We will continue to champion the civil rights of all Americans, even those who have brought this suit,” the statement said.

The lead plaintiff in the suit is the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which held simultaneous news conferences last week in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington to outline its case and to introduce individuals and representatives of organizations that have joined in the suit.

CHARGE ADL ENGAGED IN ‘MASSIVE THEFT’

At the Los Angeles news conference, lead attorney Peter Schey of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law said that the suit seeks a court finding that ADL has violated the plaintiffs’ rights of free expression and association.

Schey also said the plaintiffs are seeking an injunction against such alleged violations in the future as well as an award of monetary damages.

Among the eight speakers at the news conference was Abdeen Jabara, national vice chairman of the Anti-Discrimination Committee, who described the charges in the suit as “just the tip of the iceberg” and predicted that “ADL will fight every discovery attempt tooth and nail.”

Jabara claimed that ADL operatives had engaged in “massive theft” of documents from the Arab group’s headquarters in Washington. Asked whether he had filed a criminal complaint against ADL for the alleged theft, Jabara said that such a complaint was under consideration.

Other plaintiffs speaking at the news conference included Russell Means, head of the American Indian Movement in Colorado, and two African American politicians from Los Angeles, former Rep. Mervyn Dymally and former City Councilman Robert Ferrell.

Additional plaintiffs in the suit are the National Lawyers Guild, National Conference of Black Lawyers, Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, Palestine Solidarity Committee and International Jewish Peace Union.

Also charged in the suit are Irwin Suall, head of ADL’s fact-finding division; former San Francisco police officer Tom Gerard; Roy Bullock, a private investigator retained by ADL; and law-enforcement agencies in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego counties.

During the news conference, Dymally, Schey and Jabara assured reporters that the suit was not meant as a reflection on the American Jewish community, or on most ADL contributors and employees.

Schey maintained that if ADL had apologized for its alleged misdeeds and had promised to mend its ways, the suit would not have been filed.

He added that of the nine lawyers for the various plaintiffs, most were working for free and most were Jewish.