State Rep. David HawkGREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A federal judge has ruled that the estranged wife of a state lawmaker improperly used computer spyware during her divorce from a previous husband.
The Greeneville Sun reported Thursday that U.S. Magistrate William B. Mitchell Carter ordered attorney Crystal Goan Hawk to pay $20,000 in damages to ex-husband James Roy Klumb. The lengthy ruling found that Hawk used the spyware in violation of wiretapping laws and altered a prenuptial agreement to gain an advantage in the divorce.
Carter said Klumb's civil lawsuit and a two-week trial aired much "dirty laundry."
Hawk's current husband, Republican state Representative David Hawk, has pleaded not guilty to a domestic assault charge she filed in March. His preliminary hearing was delayed until September 11, after he runs in next week's primary election.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
