Braun v. Federal Bureau of Investigation ( 2019 )


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  •                              UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
    FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
    DAVID STEVEN BRAUN,
    Plaintiff,
    v.                           Case No. 18-cv-2145 (CRC)
    FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION,
    et al.,
    Defendants.
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    Countless attention seekers have falsely claimed to be CIA agents. David Steven Braun,
    on the other hand, insists he has never worked for the agency but suspects that a government
    database entry says otherwise. This record, Mr. Braun claims, has caused him to suffer various
    adverse employment actions and instances of harassment over the years. Seeking to unearth and
    correct this purported record, Braun has made a series of requests to the CIA and the FBI
    pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act. He also seeks records
    regarding his late father, Harvey Allen Braun, whose suicide he attributes to a similar database
    entry in the government’s files.
    In response to Braun’s requests, each agency searched its files and informed him that no
    relevant records had been located. Where the requested searches implicated material classified
    for law enforcement or national security purposes, each agency issued a so-called Glomar
    response—i.e., a response that neither confirms nor denies the existence of responsive records.
    Unsatisfied, Braun has sued the agencies pro se, insisting that responsive records exist and
    claiming damages for the wrongful death of his father. Each party has moved for summary
    judgment. Because the FBI and the CIA have adequately responded to Braun’s requests, the
    Court will grant their motion and deny Braun’s.
    I.      Background
    Braun believes the CIA or FBI has a “database point represent[ing] that [he] currently or
    at one time did work for the Agency.” Compl., ECF No. 1, at 2. He attributes a string of adverse
    life events to this purported record, alleging it “has prevented [him] from gaining employment at
    countless jobs,” and “caused companies not to promote [him] and to limit [his] salary and Year
    end bonuses.” 
    Id. He also
    claims that it has led him to be victimized by vandalism, attempted
    break-ins, and druggings at restaurants near his Montana home. Pl.’s Resp. to Reply to MSJ
    (“Resp. to Reply”), ECF No. 21, at 2. Braun believes that the FBI has a similar database entry
    for his father, Harvey Braun, which limited his father’s salary, prevented him from finding
    employment, and ultimately “forc[ed] him to take his own life.” Compl. at 8–9.
    Braun has filed and unsuccessfully litigated several FOIA and Privacy Act requests with
    a variety of agencies seeking to remove or correct this suspected database entry. See, e.g., Braun
    v. USPS, No. 16-2079, 
    2017 WL 4325645
    (D.D.C. Sept. 27, 2017); Braun v. FBI, No. 16-00040,
    
    2017 WL 496059
    (D. Mont. February 7, 2017); Braun v. NSA, No. 15-01266 (D.D.C). He
    continues that pattern with this challenge to the adequacy of the FBI and CIA’s responses to
    multiple recent FOIA and Privacy Act requests. Compl. at 9.
    Braun filed the first request at issue here with the FBI in August 2016, seeking “any
    references to [him] being a federal employee” or being “employed [by] any branch [of the]
    Military, such as the CIA.” Compl. Ex. 1, ECF No. 1, at 9. 1 He later lodged several additional
    1
    The Court will refer to the ECF pagination when referencing exhibits submitted by
    Braun.
    2
    FOIA and Privacy Act requests with the FBI seeking records related to his name that “might
    negatively affect the hiring process,” Compl. Ex. 4, ECF No. 1, at 14, or cause him to fail a “civil
    background check,” Compl. Ex. 8, ECF No. 1, at 19. Braun also sought records regarding his
    late father, including whether the elder Braun had a criminal record or other indications that
    might affect his ability to find employment. Compl. Exs. 10, 10A, 10B, ECF No. 1, at 24–26.
    In response to each of Braun’s requests, the FBI searched its Central Records System
    (“CRS”) and manual indices. See Decl. of David M. Hardy (“Hardy Decl.”), Def.’s MSJ Ex. 1,
    ECF No. 16-4, ¶¶ 40–49. Save where the FBI located files already disclosed pursuant to a prior
    FOIA request, none of the agency’s searches located responsive records. Hardy Decl. ¶ 4. To
    the extent Braun requested information related to “placement on any government watch list,” the
    FBI issued a Glomar response, refusing to “confirm or deny the existence of any records
    responsive to [his] request” based on FOIA Exemption 7(E) and Privacy Act Exemption (j)(2).
    
    Id. ¶¶ 10,
    20. Accordingly, the FBI determined that there were no records responsive to Braun’s
    requests, and maintains that it has met its obligations under FOIA and the Privacy Act. 
    Id. ¶ 50.
    Braun also submitted several FOIA and Privacy Act requests to the CIA beginning in
    October 2017. Compl. Ex. 14, ECF No. 1, at 31. These submissions sought medical records,
    employment records, and other records that might cause him to “fail [a] civil background check.”
    See, e.g., id.; 
    id. Ex. 19,
    ECF No. 1, at 38. In response to each request, the CIA searched for
    different combinations of Braun’s name in all records that would reveal an open, unclassified, or
    acknowledged relationship with the agency. See Decl. of Antoinette B. Shiner (“Shiner Decl.”),
    Defs.’ MSJ Ex. 2, ECF No. 16-5, ¶¶ 20–21. Where Braun’s requested search extended to
    classified material, the CIA, too, issued a Glomar response, refusing to “confirm the existence or
    3
    nonexistence of [responsive] records” based on its invocation of FOIA Exemptions 1 and 3, and
    Privacy Act Exemptions (j)(1) and (k)(1). 
    Id. ¶ 22.
    Braun takes issue with each agency’s response to his requests. He is certain that database
    entries on him and his father exist and contends that each agency’s search was inadequate, as
    demonstrated by its failure to identify those records. Accordingly, he asks the Court to conduct
    an additional review of FBI and CIA files to locate the records. Compl. at 9. Additionally,
    Braun claims the alleged government record on his father, Harvey Braun, was the cause of his
    father’s suicide. He thus asks the Court to find the CIA and/or the FBI liable for his father’s
    death and award damages of “[$]1,000,000 a month for the rest of [his] life.” 
    Id. at 8–10.
    Both
    parties have moved for summary judgment, and the matter is ripe for resolution.
    II.   Legal Standards
    FOIA cases are typically resolved on summary judgment. See Brayton v. Office of U.S.
    Trade Rep., 
    641 F.3d 521
    , 527 (D.C. Cir. 2011). Summary judgment should be granted if “there
    is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of
    law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).
    FOIA requires that an agency conduct an adequate search for responsive records upon
    request from a member of the public. See Rodriguez v. Dep’t of Def., 
    236 F. Supp. 3d 26
    , 34
    (D.D.C. 2017). While “a requester must reasonably describe the records sought, an agency also
    has a duty to construe the FOIA request liberally.” Nation Magazine, Washington Bureau v.
    U.S. Customs Serv., 
    71 F.3d 885
    , 890 (D.C. Cir. 1995) (alteration, citation, and quotation
    omitted). The agency “must conduct a ‘good faith, reasonable search of those systems of records
    likely to possess requested records.’” Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 
    373 F. Supp. 4
    3d 120, 123 (D.D.C. 2019) (quoting Freedom Watch, Inc. v. Nat’l Sec. Agency, 
    220 F. Supp. 3d 40
    , 44 (D.D.C. 2016)).
    Should a party dispute the adequacy of an agency’s search, the agency must show
    “beyond material doubt that its search was reasonably calculated to uncover all relevant
    documents.” Ancient Coin Collectors Guild v. U.S. Dep’t of State, 
    641 F.3d 504
    , 514 (D.C. Cir.
    2011) (quoting Valencia-Lucena v. U.S. Coast Guard, 
    180 F.3d 321
    , 325 (D.C. Cir. 1999)). The
    reasonableness of a search is determined “not by the fruits of the search, but by the
    appropriateness of the methods used to carry out the search.” Francis v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice,
    
    267 F. Supp. 3d 9
    , 12 (D.D.C. 2017). “An agency may prove the reasonableness of its search
    through a declaration by a responsible agency official[.]” Judicial 
    Watch, 373 F. Supp. 3d at 123
    (quoting Cunningham v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 40 Supp. 3d 71, 83–84 (D.D.C. 2014)). “Agency
    declarations, especially from individuals coordinating the search, are afforded a ‘presumption of
    good faith, which cannot be rebutted by purely speculative claims about the existence and
    discoverability of other documents.’” 
    Id. (quoting Freedom
    Watch, 220 F. Supp. 3d at 44
    ). As
    such, courts may award summary judgment solely based on agency affidavits or declarations that
    are “relatively detailed and non-conclusory.” 
    Id. III. Analysis
    Braun challenges the adequacy of the FBI and CIA searches and their conclusions that no
    responsive records exist. Pl.’s Resp., ECF No. 17, at 1. Additionally, he contends that the FBI
    and CIA have inappropriately issued Glomar responses to his requests. Pl.’s Resp. to Reply,
    ECF No. 21, at 1. The Court considers each point in turn.
    5
    A. Adequacy of the Searches
    Each agency has detailed the steps of its search in a declaration. The FBI provides a
    sworn declaration from David M. Hardy, who oversees the Section within the FBI that handles
    the agency’s responses to FOIA and Privacy Act requests. See Hardy Decl. ¶¶ 1–3. Mr. Hardy
    explains that in response to Braun’s requests, the FBI conducted multiple searches of its Central
    Records System (“CRS”) and manual indices, using multiple structural and phonetic variations
    of Braun’s name. 
    Id. ¶¶ 41–42,
    46. It also conducted a similar search for files on Harvey Allen
    Braun, Plaintiff’s father. 
    Id. ¶ 47.
    After Braun filed this suit, the FBI conducted additional
    searches. 
    Id. ¶¶ 48–49.
    None of these searches returned any records beyond those already
    disclosed to Braun in response to a prior FOIA request. 
    Id. ¶ 50.
    The CIA, meanwhile, provides a declaration by Antoinette B. Shiner, who heads the
    office that responds to FOIA and Privacy Act requests submitted to the agency. Shiner Decl.
    ¶¶ 1, 4. Because Braun’s requests implicated employment and medical matters, the CIA
    searched for existing and previously-released records within both its Directorate of Operations
    and Directorate of Support. 
    Id. ¶¶ 20–21.
    Like the FBI, the CIA searched for different
    combinations of Braun’s name. 
    Id. ¶ 19.
    Pursuant to its regulations, the CIA limited its searches
    to records that would reveal an open, unclassified, or acknowledged relationship with Braun. 
    Id. ¶ 19.
    Those searches located no responsive records. 
    Id. ¶ 21.
    Braun challenges these searches, contending that the employment difficulties and other
    personal woes he has experienced could only be due to a “database entry” in the agencies’
    records. Pl.’s Resp. to Reply at 2. Therefore, he insists, that record must exist, and the agencies’
    inability to locate it evinces inadequate searches. 
    Id. 6 But
    “purely speculative claims about the existence and discoverability of other
    documents” are insufficient to rebut the presumption of good faith accorded to agency
    declarations. SafeCard Servs., Inc. v. SEC, 
    926 F.2d 1197
    , 1200 (D.C. Cir 1991). Where the
    agency has provided sufficiently detailed affidavits, courts require “concrete, specific challenges
    to the sufficiency of [an agency’s] search in order to deny the agency summary judgment.”
    Competitive Enter. Inst. v. EPA, 
    12 F. Supp. 3d 100
    , 111 (D.D.C. 2014). Braun’s recitation of a
    long list of unfortunate life events that he attributes to the agencies’ records, while no doubt
    sincere, does not constitute the “concrete evidence” required to undermine the adequacy of either
    agency’s searches. Negley v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 
    305 F. Supp. 3d 36
    , 45–46 (D.D.C. 2018).
    Rather, Braun’s “belie[f] [that] the agency is to blame for these harms (and that there thus must
    exist more files on [him])” amounts only to “[m]ere speculation that . . . does not undermine the
    finding that the agency conducted a reasonable search.” 
    Id. at 46.
    Accordingly, based on the
    detailed affidavits submitted by each agency, the Court finds the searches were adequate.
    B. Glomar Responses
    Braun also suggests that records regarding him and his father exist but have been
    “potentially miss classified [sic],” and inappropriately withheld under the exemptions established
    in FOIA and the Privacy Act. See Pl.’s Resp. at 1. He specifically takes issue with each
    agency’s use of Glomar responses. 
    Id. at 2.
    A Glomar response by an agency is proper where
    “confirming or denying the existence of records would itself ‘cause harm cognizable under an
    FOIA exemption.’” Roth v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 
    642 F.3d 1161
    , 1178 (D.C. Cir. 2011)
    (quoting Wolf v. CIA, 
    473 F.3d 370
    , 374 (D.C. Cir. 2007)). A similar option is available under
    the Privacy Act. See Hillier v. CIA, No. 16-1836, 
    2018 WL 4354947
    , at *9 (D.D.C. Sept. 12,
    2018).
    7
    As an initial matter, Braun insists that if the agency’s searches identified no relevant
    documents, they would say as much. Pl.’s Resp. to Reply at 1. But this misunderstands how
    Glomar responses operate. Take, for example, the FBI’s response to his first FOIA request: “By
    standard FBI practice and pursuant to FOIA exemption (b)(7)(E) and Privacy Act exemption
    (j)(2) . . . this response neither confirms nor denies the existence of [Braun’s] name on any watch
    lists.” Compl. Ex. 2A, ECF No. 1, at 11. It was accompanied by an explanation that the Glomar
    language is a “standard notification given to all [] requesters and should not be taken as an
    indication that excluded records do, or do not, exist.” 
    Id. (emphasis added).
    To Braun’s
    understanding, this response “admitt[ed] to finding such records but declin[ed] to furnish them.
    Compl. at 3. Because his requests were not “simp[ly] denied,” Braun believes the agencies’
    Glomar responses were “fabricated or misleading” and further substantiate his theory that
    “misleading data base entries” exist. Pl.’s Resp. at 2.
    Not so. Agencies must issue such responses in all cases where requests implicate
    classified information—whether or not responsive records exist. See Shiner Decl. ¶ 33; Hardy
    Decl. Ex. 1M. Otherwise, a Glomar response would do no good at all. Braun’s proposed
    approach of providing denials where no relevant records exist would render Glomar responses
    useless, making them de facto admissions that records exist. Consequently, while frustrating for
    Braun, agencies must issue Glomar responses when searches implicate protected material.
    Therefore, both the FBI and the CIA’s categorical Glomar policies prevent Braun from obtaining
    the simple denial he seeks.
    Of course, an agency may not invoke Glomar willy-nilly. It must “tether its refusal to
    respond . . . to one of the nine FOIA exemptions” or exemptions under the Privacy Act.
    Montgomery v. IRS, 
    330 F. Supp. 3d 161
    , 168 (D.D.C. 2018) (quoting Wilner v. NSA, 
    592 F.3d 8
    60, 68 (2d Cir. 2009)). Again, it may do so through affidavits that describe its withholdings in
    “specific detail, demonstrat[ing] that the information withheld logically falls within the claimed
    exemption.” ACLU v. Dep’t of Def., 
    628 F.3d 612
    , 619 (D.C. Cir. 2011). Each agency did
    precisely that here.
    1. FBI Exemptions
    The FBI provided a Glomar response to the extent Braun’s requests implicated
    information about any individual’s placement on a government watch list. See Hardy Decl. ¶ 10,
    20. It tethers its response to FOIA Exemption 7(E) and Privacy Act Exemption (j)(2). 
    Id. FOIA Exemption
    7(E) protects from disclosure law enforcement records related to
    “techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions,” where “such
    disclosure could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law.” 5 U.S.C.
    § 552(b)(7)(E). “[W]here an agency specializes in law enforcement, its decision to invoke
    Exemption 7 is entitled to deference.” Barnard v. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 
    598 F. Supp. 2d 1
    , 14
    (D.D.C. 2009). “Satisfying [Exemption 7(E)] is a ‘relatively low bar’ in this Circuit.” Bigwood
    v. Dep’t of Def., 
    132 F. Supp. 3d 124
    , 152 (D.D.C. 2015) (quoting Blackwell v. FBI, 
    646 F.3d 37
    , 42 (D.C. Cir. 2011)).
    The FBI maintains it is “reasonably foreseeable that confirming or denying an
    individual’s placement on any government watch list would harm the interests protected by
    [Exemption 7(E)].” Hardy Decl. Ex. 1P. Kalu v. IRS, 
    159 F. Supp. 3d 16
    (D.D.C. 2016),
    demonstrates this reasoning. See Hardy Decl. Ex. 1P. In Kalu, a fellow court in this district
    upheld an FBI Glomar response predicated on Exemption 7(E) where a requester sought
    information regarding her presence on TSA and FBI watch lists. 
    159 F. Supp. 3d
    . at 19. There,
    the court explained that “anything other than a ‘neither confirm nor deny’ response would tend to
    9
    disclose at the very least ‘guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions’ and that
    such disclosure ‘could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law.’” 
    Id. at 23
    (citations omitted).
    Braun’s request for records regarding his presence on a watch list raises the same
    problems that were present in Kalu. The FBI cannot reveal if Braun is on its watch list without
    giving away information that might tip off those on the watch list or aid those who seek to avoid
    being placed on it. Should the FBI abandon its “even-handed Glomar response,” and provide
    Braun with a specific answer to his request, it would risk placing “more information [regarding
    the watch list] in the public domain from which individuals could inductively piece together”
    FBI enforcement guidelines with the aim of circumventing the law. 
    Id. Therefore, while
    the
    agency’s justifications for Exemption 7(E) in this case are brief, they suffice. Braun offers no
    evidence to challenge the sufficiency of the FBI’s affidavits or to demonstrate bad faith. The
    FBI’s response is sufficient to justify the Exemption and corresponding Glomar response.
    Exemption (j)(2) of the Privacy Act “protects from mandatory disclosure systems of
    records ‘maintained by an agency or component thereof which performs as its principal function
    any activity [pertaining] to the enforcement of criminal law[.]’” Dutton v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice,
    
    302 F. Supp. 3d 109
    , 127 (D.D.C. 2018) (quoting 5 U.S.C. § 552a(j)(2)). To claim this
    exemption agencies may promulgate rules to exempt systems from provisions of the Act. 
    Id. (citing 5
    U.S.C. § 552a(j)). The FBI avers that “even if [it] possessed records responsive to
    [Braun]’s request,” those records would have been “exempt from amendment or correction,”
    because they were “maintained in the FBI’s CRS and thus compiled as a result of the FBI’s
    fulfillment of its law enforcement duties.” Hardy Decl. ¶ 45. The FBI indicates correctly that its
    10
    CRS is expressly “exempt from amendment and correction” pursuant to rules promulgated by its
    Director. Hardy Decl. ¶ 45; see 28 C.F.R. § 16.96.
    Because Braun advances no argument or evidence suggesting that the alleged records
    were not maintained in the CRS, and thus subject to disclosure or amendment, he has not
    rebutted the agency’s declarations. The FBI is therefore entitled to summary judgment.
    2. CIA Exemptions
    Where Braun’s requests implicated classified records within the CIA, the agency
    provided a Glomar response predicated on FOIA Exemptions 1 and 3, and Privacy Act
    Exemptions (j) and (k).
    FOIA Exemption 1 covers records “specifically authorized under criteria established by
    an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and . . .
    in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive Order.” 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(1). When
    dealing with issues of national security, courts afford substantial deference to the agency, and
    “must sustain an agency’s Glomar response predicated on a FOIA exemption when the
    justification for nondisclosure appears logical or plausible.” Shapiro v. CIA, 
    170 F. Supp. 3d 147
    , 158 (D.D.C. 2016) (internal quotation marks omitted) (citing ACLU v. CIA, 
    710 F.3d 422
    ,
    427 (D.C. Cir. 2013)). Moreover, where an agency avers that disclosure would cause harm to
    national security, courts “have consistently deferred to executive affidavits . . . and have found it
    unwise to undertake searching judicial review.” DiBacco v. Dep’t of the Army, 
    926 F.3d 827
    ,
    835 (D.C. Cir. 2019) (quoting Ctr. for Nat’l Sec. Studies v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 
    331 F.3d 918
    ,
    927 (D.C. Cir. 2003) (internal quotation marks omitted)).
    The Court will first address the CIA’s asserted FOIA exemptions, and then consider its
    Privacy Act exemptions. In support of its withholding under Exemption 1, the CIA invokes
    11
    Executive Order 13,526, the operative authority governing classification of national security
    information. Assoc. Press v. FBI, 
    265 F. Supp. 3d 82
    , 93 (D.D.C. 2017); see also Exec. Order
    No. 13,526, 75 Fed. Reg. 707, 707 (Dec. 29, 2009). The CIA provides a declaration detailing the
    national security interest implicated by these records, which conforms to the specifications of the
    Executive Order. See Shiner Decl. ¶¶ 27–33. For his part, Braun advances no specific
    arguments challenging the sufficiency of the CIA’s declaration, which carries a presumption of
    good faith. See, e.g., Elect. Privacy Info. Ctr. v. U.S. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 
    117 F. Supp. 3d 46
    , 60 (D.D.C. 2015). Accordingly, the Court finds the CIA properly invoked Exemption 1.
    Equally straightforward is the CIA’s invocation of Exemption 3, covering records
    “specifically exempted from disclosure by statute.” 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(3). Here, the CIA relies
    on § 102A(i)(1) of the National Security Act—which requires the Director of National
    Intelligence to “protect intelligence sources and methods from unauthorized disclosure”—as the
    statutory mandate that “requires that the matters be withheld from the public in such a manner as
    to leave no discretion on the issue.” Shiner Decl. ¶¶ 35–36 (quoting 50 USC § 3024(i)(1) and 5
    U.S.C. § 552(b)(3)). “It is well established that [§ 102A(i)(1)] qualifies as an Exemption 3
    withholding statue.” Willis v. NSA, No. 17-2038, 
    2019 WL 1924249
    , at *8 (D.D.C. Apr. 30,
    2019); see also Assoc. 
    Press, 265 F. Supp. 3d at 97
    (observing that “[§ 102A(i)(1)] presents an
    easier hurdle for the agency under Exemption 3 than does Executive Order 13,526 under
    Exemption 1”).
    Braun again fails to advance any arguments beyond a general allegation that the CIA’s
    Glomar responses were “fabricated or misleading” given his insistence that the requested
    database entries must exist. Pl.’s Resp. at 2. “This theory of bad faith is far too speculative to
    justify disregarding the declarations produced by the CIA that explain why Exemption 3 and the
    12
    National Security Act warranted the challenged [withholdings].” 
    DiBacco, 926 F.3d at 836
    .
    Accordingly, the CIA properly invoked Exemption 3.
    Finally, the CIA’s invocation of Exemptions (j) and (k) under the Privacy Act are also
    proper. Exemption (j)(1) is a corollary to FOIA Exemption 3, and expressly permits the head of
    the CIA to promulgate rules exempting records from disclosure pursuant to the act. Wheeler v.
    CIA, 
    271 F. Supp. 2d 132
    , 138 (D.D.C. 2003); see also 5 U.S.C. § 552a(j)(1). Exemption (k)(1)
    allows heads of agencies to promulgate rules exempting systems of records from disclosure if
    those records are also subject to FOIA Exemption 1. The Director of the CIA has promulgated
    rules exempting from the access provisions of the Privacy Act those records pertaining to
    intelligence sources and methods, see 32 C.F.R. § 1901.62(d)(1) (Exemption (j)(1)), and
    classified intelligence sources and methods, see 
    id. § 1901.63(a)
    (Exemption (k)(1)). To support
    its withholdings, the CIA avers both that the systems of records are properly classified under
    Executive Order 13,526, and that disclosure would implicate intelligence sources and methods.
    Shiner Decl. ¶¶ 23–24 (Exemption (j)(1)), 25–26 (Exemption (k)(1)). In return, Braun makes no
    specific points disputing the classification of the records, nor challenging the CIA’s assertion that
    disclosure would implicate intelligence sources and methods. As discussed above, this is
    insufficient to rebut the credibility of the CIA’s rationale for claiming both exemptions.
    In sum, Braun’s conclusory allegations represent neither the “contrary evidence in the
    record” nor the “evidence of the agency’s bad faith” sufficient to rebut an agency’s detailed
    affidavits. ACLU v. Dep’t of 
    Def., 628 F.3d at 619
    . As the Court has found the agency’s
    affidavits sufficient to justify their claimed exemptions, the Court will grant summary judgment
    in favor of the FBI and the CIA.
    13
    C. Wrongful Death Claim
    In addition to his claims seeking the disclosure and amendment of documents, Braun also
    asks the Court to find the government liable for the wrongful death of his father and order the
    government pay him “[$]1,000,000 a month for the rest of [his] life.” Compl. at 8–9, 10; Pl.’s
    Resp. at 2. Braun invokes Privacy Act provisions that allow for the recovery of “actual damages
    sustained by the individual as a result of [an agency’s] refusal or failure” to comply with its
    obligations. 5 U.S.C. § 552a(g)(4); see Compl. at 10. But any recovery is predicated on a court
    finding that “the agency acted in a manner which [] intentional[ly] or willful[ly]” violated the act
    and caused harm to the individual. 
    Id. As discussed
    above, this Court finds that neither the FBI
    nor the CIA violated Privacy Act with respect to Braun’s requested records. Accordingly, Braun
    is not entitled to any damages under the Privacy Act.
    IV. Conclusion
    For the foregoing reasons, the Court will grant Defendants’ Motion for Summary
    Judgment and deny Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment. A separate Order will follow.
    CHRISTOPHER R. COOPER
    United States District Judge
    Date: July 25, 2019
    14