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Linda Tripp Gets $595,000 in Privacy Suit
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government will pay over half a
million dollars to Linda Tripp, a central figure in the Monica
Lewinsky scandal, as part of a settlement of lawsuits that accused
U.S. officials of violating her privacy, court documents showed on
Monday.
Tripp's secretly taped conversations with Lewinsky fueled the sex
scandal that almost brought down former President Bill Clinton.
Tripp transferred to a job at the Pentagon from the White House
after news of her tape recordings became public.
Tripp sued the Defense Department and the U.S. government for
privacy violations, including a charge that officials leaked
information that she was interviewing for a job at a lower rank and
salary than her old job.
Tripp also accused U.S. officials of leaking information from her
security clearance.
Under the settlement, Tripp will be paid a lump sum of $595,000
and she will receive a retroactive increase in her pay grade which
will be used to re-calculate her retirement benefits.
In exchange, the lawsuits will be dismissed.
"This is a long awaited first step toward holding the government
accountable under the Privacy Act," Tripp said in a statement. "The
government should never be permitted to use Privacy Act protected
information to discredit a political opponent."
Tripp was fired from her job at the Pentagon in January 2001
after she refused to follow tradition and resign with other
political appointees at the end of the Clinton administration.
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