Attorney files lawsuit against LA Times business columnist

An attorney filed a class action accusing Los Angeles Times business columnist Michael Hiltzik of recording telephone conversations without his interviewees’ consent, in violation of state wiretap law.

Matt Reynolds of Courthouse News Service writes, “Silverman claims Hiltzik’s conduct not only violated state law but the newspaper’s ethic guidelines, which state: ‘People who will be shown in an adverse light in an article must be given a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves. This means making a good-faith effort to give the subject of allegations or criticism sufficient time and information to respond substantively. Whenever possible, the reporter should meet face-to-face with the subject in a sincere effort to understand his or her best arguments.’

“Silverman claims that neither he nor other interviewees were given a ‘meaningful opportunity to defend themselves.’

“‘Defendant’s representations that he abides by the ethics guidelines are false, and defendant knows they are false because he does not make a ‘good faith effort to give the subject of allegations or criticism sufficient time and information to respond substantively.’ Instead, defendant intimidates his interviewees, conditions their response on providing recorded telephone interviews, and fails to obtain their consent when he wiretaps and records their telephone conversations,’ according to the complaint.

“An L.A. Times vice president called it ‘another baseless lawsuit filed by Mr. Silverman.’

“Nancy Sullivan told Courthouse News: ‘Mr. Hiltzik has not been served, but this is just another baseless lawsuit filed by Mr. Silverman. This time he is the plaintiff. Three other lawsuits he filed against the Los Angeles Times and its employees have been thrown out of court. We are confident that this latest vexatious lawsuit also will be thrown out.'”