By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer
An official with the state Judiciary’s Administrative Driver’s License Revocation Office made "a misjudgment" but did not violate the law by releasing personal information about former police officer Clyde Arakawa, who is being investigated in connection with an Oct. 7 fatal car crash, federal Judge David Ezra said yesterday.
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| Personal information about Clyda Arakawa was shown on TV.
Advertiser library photo • Oct. 18, 2000 |
Arakawa’s lawyer, Michael Ostendorp, filed a lawsuit in November against Ronald Sakata, chief adjudicator of the license revocation office, claiming Sakata’s release of Arakawa’s home address, birth date, Social Security number and police reports about the collision violated Arakawa’s right to privacy.
Sakata showed the police reports and Arakawa’s driver’s license to newspaper and television reporters and photographers while explaining the reasons why the license had been seized from Arakawa.
Arakawa’s birth date, Social Security number and home address were printed on his driver’s license, pictures of which were broadcast by some television stations.
The police reports described Arakawa’s alleged behavior at the crash scene and said he smelled of alcohol. Various news accounts of Arakawa’s license being revoked included details from those reports.
A Ford Thunderbird driven by Arakawa, who was off duty at the time, collided the night of Oct. 7 with a Honda Civic driven by Dana Ambrose, 19, at the intersection of Pali Highway and School Street. Ambrose died of injuries suffered in the accident.
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| Dana Ambrose died from injuries suffered in the collision with off-duty officer Clyde Arakawa, who maintains he had the right of way.
Advertiser library photo • Oct. 18, 2000 |
Arakawa was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drunken driving and first-degree negligent homicide, but was released pending further investigation. He maintains that he had a green light and the right of way as he traveled through the intersection and that Ambrose ran a red light.
In tossing out the lawsuit yesterday, Ezra said Arakawa had "no clearly existing right not to have this information disclosed."
In addition, Sakata did not arbitrarily give out the information, Ezra said.
"We’re talking about someone who was involved in a fatal accident. There was a revocation due to someone’s refusal to submit to a blood or breath alcohol test," Ezra said.
Ostendorp did not respond to a request to comment on the ruling.
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