Release of text messages prompts a lawsuit

A woman has filed a federal lawsuit against a Utah telecommunications company over text-message records she claims were improperly released and then made public by her estranged husband.

The suit, filed Thursday by Ashley Heather Crow in U.S. District Court, alleges violations of the Stored Communications Act by Strata Networks, her husband, Justin Crow, and a family-owned business where he works as vice president.

In a 17-page complaint, Ashley Crow claims Justin Crow requested a record of the text messages sent from and received by her cell phone. The phone, according to the lawsuit, is tied to a corporate account that belongs to Outback Rental and Landscape Supplies, where Justin Crow is vice president.

Still, Ashley Crow maintains that the phone was intended for her personal use, not for company business. The Vernal woman also claims she never gave Strata Networks permission to release text-message records for the phone to her estranged husband.

"The messages she sent were for the recipient only," the complaint states, adding later that, "Justin Crow never received authorization or consent from either the addressee or the intended recipient to access their text messages."

State court records show that Justin Crow filed for divorce in July, around the time his wife alleges he received the phone records.

The lawsuit goes on to allege that once Justin Crow obtained the records, he distributed them to Ashley Crow's friends and family and possibly posted them online, exposing the woman to "severe grief and shame."

"This action would be highly offensive and objectionable to a reasonable person in her situation," states the suit, which seeks undisclosed punitive damages and asks a judge to prevent Justin Crow from further publicizing the records.

Strata Networks spokesman Tyler Rasmussen said the company hasn't had a chance to review the claims in the lawsuit and wouldn't comment on the case. However, he said Strata employees receive extensive training on the laws and company policies related to the release of confidential customer information.

Justin Crow's attorney, Burke L. Huber, said he would not comment on either the divorce proceedings or the federal complaint. Outback Rentals President Tim Crow also declined to comment on the suit.

No hearings have been scheduled yet in federal court.

e-mail: gliesik@desnews.com

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