Fired GOP operative Michael Brodkorb is accusing the Senate of invading his privacy -- a charge his attorney plans to tack on to his coming lawsuit.
"Over the last few months, representatives of the Minnesota Senate have systematically trampled on the legal rights of privacy afforded to a state employee under the law," attorney Philip Villaume wrote in a press release Friday.
The accusation came the same day Minnesota Public Radio broke the news that Brodkorb's appeal for unemployment benefits had been rejected by the state.Villaume accused Cal Ludeman, secretary of the Senate, of leaking the news of Brodkorb's appeal to the press.
Ludeman is in a meeting right now and unavailable for comment, a Senate staffer said.
Information about who has filed for unemployment, and whose application has been rejected, is protected by state privacy laws. But unemployment appeals are a matter of public record.
Brodkorb lost his job in December, amid revelations about his affair with Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch.
The incident led to a shakeup of the entire Senate GOP leadership. Koch stepped down and Brodkorb was fired the next day.
Brodkorb is threatening to sue the Senate for gender bias. He claims he was treated differently from other employees who have had intimate relationships with male politicians.To bolster that claim, his attorneys have said they will need to interview all current and former lawmakers and staffers who may have had dalliances.
Villaume said that the new accusation of invasion of privacy will add to the damages Brodkorb will be seeking. He will be filing suit within the next 30 to 60 days, he said.
