Former DEA agent, CIA reach tentative settlement in lawsuit

A lawsuit brought 15 years ago against the CIA has reached a tentative settlement by a former DEA agent who accused the agency of illegal wiretapping.

Representing attorneys announced late Wednesday in a court filing that an agreement had been made to settle the underlying litigation, and that it could be finalized by late October.

Former DEA agent Richard A. Horn, 63, filed suit in 1994, accusing the CIA of illegally bugging his home in Rangoon, Burma while stationed there. Horn alleged that recordings of his private phone calls were used as an excuse to terminate his position. For 15 years the case has been floating through the court system.

In July, the case drew some publicity after a federal judge accused the CIA of committing fraud in the case.

The proposed settlement comes after the government in August appealed a ruling by Judge Royce C. Lamberth, which granted Horn’s attorneys access to classified information.