Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s Lawsuit Over Text Messages Thrown Out
A federal judge in Mississippi on Tuesday dismissed former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s $25 million lawsuit against Skytel, the city’s former communications provider, for releasing text messages that brought about his downfall.
U.S. District Judge William Barbour Jr. of Jackson, Miss., said Kilpatrick filed an amended lawsuit there in March 2010 without getting court approval to do so, as required by Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure.
Barbour kicked the case back to Hinds County Circuit Court, where Kilpatrick could continue to fight the legal battle. The case conceivably could wind up back in federal court, where it had been scheduled to go to trial Jan. 30.
Kilpatrick sued Mississippi-based Skytel for invasion of privacy and violation of the federal Stored Communications Act for releasing text messages to Royal Oak, Mich., attorney Michael Stefani in response to a subpoena in a police whistle-blower lawsuit.