U.S. District Court: SEX OFFENDERS.

Akella v. Michigan Dept. of State Police, 67 F.Supp.2d 716 (E.D.Mich. 1999). Homeowners whose address was incorrectly listed in Michigan's sex offender registry joined two persons who were required to register under the Michigan Sex Offender Registration Act in an action challenging the constitutionality of the Act. The district court dismissed the action, finding that the Act did not violate the plaintiffs' due process rights. According to the court, individuals who were required to register under the Act did not allege a substantial risk of severe bodily harm when they alleged that they were subjected to threats, anonymous letters telling them to move, loss of housing, and reduced educational opportunities for themselves and their children. The court also found that the plaintiffs had no legitimate privacy interest in preventing the compilation and dissemination of truthful information which was already a matter of public record, and the state's interest in preventing sex offenses justified the intrusion on any privacy interests the individuals held in their home addresses. (Michigan Sex Offender Registration Act)