PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh health care clinic and its executive director have launched litigation against a local non-profit group and its president, charging that president with illegally recording and disseminating a telephone conversation in violation of federal and state wiretapping laws.
Central Outreach Wellness Center and Stacy Lane, D.O. filed suit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on June 18 versus Ciora Thomas and SisTers PGH Corp., with all parties of Pittsburgh.
“On Sept. 30, 2019, Thomas in her position as President of SisTers PGH Corp., initiated a telephone conversation with Lane, of Central Outreach. After the telephone call began, Lane heard a clicking sound which could have indicated a recording device, and therefore, Lane specifically requested that the telephone conversation not be recorded for any purpose,” per the lawsuit.
“In response to Lane’s inquiry of whether she is being recorded, Thomas lied, saying the noise was her laptop computer and that she was not recording the conversation. Unbeknownst to Lane, Thomas recorded the audio of the telephone conversation and then placed that audio conversation on a YouTube video on the Internet.”
In addition to the illegal wiretap interception, the plaintiffs say the defendants have also commercially defamed Central Outreach and Lane. In a Facebook posting dated Sept. 30. 2019, published defamatory statements concerning the conduct of Central Outreach’s business, including falsely asserting that treatment provided to patients was negligent and rose to the level of malpractice, the lawsuit says. The plaintiffs say these statements constituted defamation per se.
“Central Outreach spearheaded the fight to stop the COVID-19 pandemic by providing COVID-19 testing to the community. Despite all of Central Outreach’s humanitarian services, SisTers PGH, Corp. and Thomas, its President, have engaged in a public campaign to defame Central Outreach and Lane by spreading pernicious falsehoods on Facebook and other Internet platforms. Even more egregiously, Thomas illegally intercepted and recorded a phone conversation with Lane, without Lane’s consent and placed it on the Internet,” the suit says.
For counts of violating the Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act, defamation per se, commercial disparagement/trade libel, intentional interference with prospective contractual relationships, intentional interference with current contractual relationships and punitive damages, the plaintiffs are seeking damages in excess of $500,000, including attorney’s fees, costs and such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.
The plaintiffs are represented by John P. Corcoran Jr. of Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace, in Pittsburgh.
The defendants have not yet secured legal counsel.
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas case GD-20-006926
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com