Gizmodo may sue police over iPhone raid

Legal wrangle rumbles on

Gizmodo owner Gawker Media says it is considering legal action against San Mateo county police for allegedly violating a Californian law protecting journalists.

The announcement concerns the raid last Friday on the home of editor Jason Chen by police searching for evidence in the case of the leaked Apple iPhone 4G prototype.

California’s 'shield' law, the intricacies of which we explained yesterday, is designed to protect journalists’ sources by preventing the seizure of certain items.

Gawker’s media lawyer, Thomas R Burke, told CNET he believed the search was illegal. He added that Gawker was in talks with the District Attorney's office, which had agreed not to examine any of Jason Chen's seized computers and hard drives until a definite conclusion had been reached on the legality of the search.

San Mateo county Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said he was considering the matter and expected to issue a legal memo later this week.