Listener Sues Stern, IRS, America
Howard Stern is being sued by a woman who claims that her personal and tax information were broadcast on Stern’s radio show two years ago. According to The Hollywood Reporter and numerous other media outlets, Judith Barrigas of Sandwich, MA filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court in Massachusetts on Monday. As the complaint states, Barrigas had called into the IRS service center on May 19, 2015, to discuss how the agency had applied prior year liabilities to her tax refund. She got connected to IRS agent Jimmy Forsythe. However… before the two connected, Forsythe had called into the Howard Stern Show using another phone line. While he was on hold, Forsythe took Barrigas’ call and proceeded to spend 45 minutes with her discussing her tax case. Apparently, during this conversation, someone on Stern’s show overheard heard the conversation and decided to air it live on SiriusXM.
“While on the phone with Agent Forsythe, Mrs. Barrigas suddenly began to receive a barrage of text messages and phone calls from unknown callers/individuals,” the complaint states. “The text messages were informing Mrs. Barrigas that her personal information and phone number was being aired live on The Stern Show.” The suit further states, “On May 19, 2015, The IRS, The Stern Show and Howard Stern engaged in reckless and negligent publication of Mrs. Barrigas’ personal identification, tax liability and return information by airing the information publicly [to approximately 1,200,000 listeners] on The Stern Show worldwide.”
The lawsuit also claims that a recording of the phone call in question can still be accessed online, and after what happened, Barrigas claims the “outrageous violation” of her privacy has resulted in difficulty finding employment, anxiety, loss of sleep and irregular eating patterns. Barrigas is suing the government under the Federal Tort Claims Act and for an unlawful disclosure of her tax return and is demanding compensatory and punitive damages. She’s also asserting negligence and an invasion of her privacy against Stern and his show. Needless to say, Agent Forsythe was put on administrative leave. The full complaint is posted online.
