Socialite Sues FBI, Pentagon in Petraeus Scandal

Jill Kelley says officials deliberately leaked false info
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 4, 2013 2:29 AM CDT
Updated Jun 4, 2013 6:08 AM CDT
Woman in Petraeus Scandal Sues FBI, Pentagon
In this Nov. 13, 2012 photo, Jill Kelley leaves her home in Tampa, Fla.    (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

The Florida socialite whose complaints about threatening emails ended up exposing David Petraeus' affair with his biographer is suing the FBI and the Department of Defense for leaking her name—and "false and defamatory" information about her. Jill Kelley's lawsuit says she and her husband were dragged into the scandal after complaining about cyberstalking, making her "an object of ridicule, moral opprobrium, scorn, and derision, causing her shame, public notoriety, egregious loss of privacy and security," CBS reports.

After the incident, Kelley became an advocate for the reform of privacy laws, Politico reports. "Today is an unforgettable day because one year ago threatening emails shook my life, and ultimately changed our country’s leadership," she said in a statement. But when she sought protection for her family, "we did not receive confidentiality and protection. Instead we received highly hurtful and damaging publicity from willful leaks from high level government officials that were false and defamatory." (More Jill Kelley stories.)

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