Assange, wanted by the US government on charges of disclosing classified information and violating the Espionage Act, took refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy from June 2012 until his arrest in April 2019, after which hearings began to extradite him to the United States.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed in August, include attorneys and journalists who met with Assange while he lived in the embassy. The lawsuit alleges that the visitors were required to surrender their electronic devices to private security personnel before meeting with Assange.
The private security personnel copied information from the devices and gave it to the CIA, then headed by Pompeo, without the plaintiffs’ or the Ecuadorian government’s knowledge, according to the lawsuit.
The group is suing Pompeo, CIA and the private security company and its CEO.
On Tuesday, the Assange Defense Committee shared a video on social media showing Pompeo getting served with the lawsuit, providing formal notice of the court case against him as is typically required in civil cases.
Last month, the CIA confirmed receipt of its summons to court, according to court filings.
The plaintiffs claim that the alleged surveillance amounts to a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees a right to privacy. The lawsuit requests a jury assess the case and award damages. Additionally, it requests the CIA purge any files it may have related to the allegations.
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.