Judge Rules Against Pilot in Friendly Fire Case

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled against a pilot who said the Air Force ruined his reputation with its response to a friendly fire bombing in Afghanistan that killed four Canadian soldiers.

Maj. Harry Schmidt claimed in an April 2006 civil lawsuit that the military violated the federal Privacy Act by disclosing parts of his military record without his permission.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield, said military officials should not have released to the public a scathing letter of reprimand. Schmidt’s attorney, Charles Gittins of Virginia, has said the disclosure also violated a settlement agreement that prevented Schmidt from being court-martialed for the 2002 bombing that also wounded eight others.

U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott ruled in favor of the Air Force on Thursday, writing that “the competing public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs Schmidt’s privacy interest.”

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