After a Nine Year Fight, Department of Justice Closes Jane Turner Case

Washington, D.C. August 14, 2007. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) vetoed the request of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) to continue appealing jury verdict which found the FBI guilty of illegally retaliating against one of its top child-crime agents. As a result, on August 10, 2007 the FBI’s appeal was summarily dismissed, and final judgment was entered on behalf of Jane Turner.

The FBI campaigned against Jane Turner for more than nine years, first attempting to block her bid to have her case heard by a jury, and then attempting to get the jury verdict overturned. After losing one round of battles before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, losing in front of a jury and losing its attempt to have the trial judge dismiss the verdict, the FBI filed another round of appeals in the Eight Circuit. After three months of review the Department of Justice determined that the FBI’s vindictive campaign against former Agent Turner had no merit and unilaterally withdrew the appeal. The Eight Circuit entered final judgment for former agent Turner on August 10, 2007.

“The FBI’s conduct in this case was a disgrace,” said Stephen M. Kohn, Jane Tuner’s lead trial attorney. “The FBI ruined the career of its top child-crime agent in North Dakota, recklessly spent millions of dollars in taxpayer monies trying to silence Agent Turner and tried improperly tried to get the Department of Justice to cover-up their misdeeds. The jury, the judges, and finally the Department of Justice itself saw through the FBI’s nonsense, and put an end to Jane Turner’s nightmare. The FBI must be held accountable. The General Counsel of the FBI, who authorized the improper legal campaign against Agent Turner, even when the evidence clearly indicated that FBI managers engaged in misconduct and FBI Inspection Reports were falsified, must be fired,” Kohn added.

Stillwater, Minnesota attorney Robert Hill, who served as Agent Turner’s co-counsel, bluntly stated: “The FBI must be cleaned up. Too much is at stake for the American people to accept an FBI which violates the law, retaliates against its own agents, misspends taxpayer monies and ignores its essential law enforcement duties.”

As a result of the final judgment, Jane Turner will obtain the maximum allowable compensatory damage award under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and reimbursement for all attorney fees and costs incurred. The total judgment is expected to exceed one million dollars.

Turner worked as a Special Agent with the FBI for 25 years, retiring under fire in 2002. For 12 years she was the FBI's top child-crimes investigator in North Dakota's "Indian Country." In 1998-99, she filed discrimination and retaliation claims arising from the FBI's mishandling of its crimes against children program.

Turner won her jury trial on February 5, 2007 and The FBI appealed her jury verdict on May 29, 2007.

Today, Senator Charles Grassley also issued a Press Statement in support of Jane Turner, that statement can be found here: Senator Grassley’s press statement