Government contractor suing Air America Radio

Obviously daring to open up a serious can of worms, government contractor CACI International Inc. has won bankruptcy court approval to proceed with its defamation lawsuit against Air America Radio and one of its hosts, Randi Rhodes.

In spite of their filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a federal bankruptcy court in New York ruled Thursday that the case could proceed regardless. Under federal law, legal proceedings against a company are frozen when the company declares bankruptcy. CACI argued that the claims against the network are covered by and insurance policy, which would pay any damages.

According to CACI's complaint, in August 2005, Rhodes accused CACI employees of raping and murdering Iraqi civilians at Abu Ghraib prison. The company sued Air America and its parent company, Piquant LLC, as well as Rhodes that fall for defamation. CACI is seeking $1 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.

A U.S. District Court dismissed the case, but CACI appealed that ruling. The bankruptcy court's decision allows the appeal to proceed.

CACI, based in Arlington, VA, is an information technology consulting firm sucking on the government teet. In other words, it collects the majority of its revenue from government contracts. A CACI subsidiary company provided civilian interrogators to the U.S. military in Iraq, the company acknowledged in its complaint. And, of course, some of those very 'interrogators' were involved in the Abu Ghraib scandal.

Quite frankly, I'd like to see a trial like that. Let's see CACI prove Rhodes wrong. Popcorn, anyone?