The former mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, is demanding $100 million from SkyTel, a company formerly headquartered in Jackson.

WorldCom purchased SkyTel in 1999. The company declined precipitously after the purchase, and eventually fell victim to WorldCom's bankruptcy. Since then, SkyTel has changed hands several times and is now headquartered in Herndon, Va., although it maintains offices in Mississippi.

Attorneys for Kilpatrick say SkyTel violated the ex-mayor's privacy and constitutional rights by releasing contents of his text messages, according to an Associated Press story on WFLX.

Previous Comments

ID

144526

Comment

I don't know how feasable or how winnable a case like this will be for Kilpatrick. It is always difficult to defend someone who has fallen from grace as has Kilpatrick. This was such a waste of talent. This kid is brilliant and I guess, either too smart or too dumb for his own good. Ronni M, I pass the old WorldCom building frequently. There are always a lot of cars in their parking area. Are you aware of what is going on and if this business now on solid footing?

Author

justjess

Date

2009-03-10T09:13:18-06:00

ID

144527

Comment

Brilliant? Nepotism. Explain where brilliance comes into play. Specifics please.

Author

jbreland

Date

2009-03-10T09:25:05-06:00

ID

144528

Comment

Justjess, my understanding is that the company's Mississippi operations are just a shell of what once was. Velocita Wireless in Virginia bought the company in 2008 from the California company that purchased it from Verizon several years before that. The former WorldCom building in Clinton has several other tenants.

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2009-03-10T09:27:39-06:00

ID

144532

Comment

jbreland, I know many "brilliant" crimanals, drug abuser, liars, etc. For me "brillance" only speaks to that area of mental keeness that a person possess and I can site you countless examples of Kwame being representative of that. When a Kennedy, a Clinton, or a Bush is elected to office, it is said that this is family historical legacy: When a Kilpatric vacates her local office and her son runs and wins, you say it's "NEPOTISM." Now this, I do understand. By the way, did you not read my comment about Kilpatric "falling from grace?" I am not defending him. He earned the wright to be punished for his wrongs.

Author

justjess

Date

2009-03-10T10:01:09-06:00

ID

144533

Comment

Of course, criminals can be "brilliant." They use the brilliance for the wrong reasons. We see it all the time. Regardless of what you think about the candidate, it's really hard to call being elected "nepotism," as justjess said. It's like the person yesterday saying that "everyone" wanted something new in New Orleans, but Nagin was re-elected. Er?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-03-10T10:22:36-06:00

ID

144534

Comment

And for the record, I am still going to have to be convinced that Hillary Rodham Clinton is qualified to be secretary of state. Nor was I convinced she was ready to be senator. But she was elected, at least as senator.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-03-10T10:23:57-06:00

ID

144535

Comment

I last heard the worldcom building be occupied by ADP... which is a large fortune 500 payroll processing company. I believe anywhere from 500 to 1000 people are planned to work there.

Author

Concerned in Jacktown

Date

2009-03-10T10:37:45-06:00

ID

144537

Comment

It may vary from state to state, but I do believe phone records of public employees (at least those issued by their respective jurisdictions) are made available to the public. There was a case in Arkansas a year or two ago when someone filed a Freedom of Information Act to obtain text messages from then-Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt since he had a state-issued phone, having being under the employ of the state. I don't know if the phone Kilpatrick was texting on was his own personal phone or one issued by the city of Detroit. If it were his own personal phone, he may have a case. If not, he may or may not have a case. I don't know what Michigan laws say about public-issued cell phones.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2009-03-10T11:03:46-06:00