Eleven current and former athletes at Iowa and Iowa State have joined a federal lawsuit accusing the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation of illegally obtaining gambling information of more than 40 athletes and hundreds of students at both campuses in early 2023. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Southern Iowa, alleges that DCI violated the athletes’ civil rights by using geofence technology at the universities’ athletic facilities to identify online sports wagering accounts and obtain reports detailing the dates, times, and geolocations of those accounts.
The athletes, including current Iowa State wrestler Paniro Johnson and former Iowa football player Terry Roberts, seek damages, attorney fees, and a jury trial. The lawsuit claims that DCI conducted an unreasonable seizure through the Fourth and 14th Amendments by acquiring subpoenas to secure geolocation data and contents of electronic communication without proper authorization.
The newest plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from Iowa and Texas, who have joined the Des Moines-based attorneys who filed the original lawsuit in April. The athletes are demanding justice and accountability for the alleged invasion of their privacy and violation of their constitutional rights. The case has brought attention to the issue of privacy rights in the digital age and the need for stricter regulations on law enforcement agencies’ use of surveillance technology.
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