Article sources sought in wiretap case

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Attorneys for a Los Angeles entertainment lawyer, accused of illegal wiretapping, claim federal authorities leaked confidential information.

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, lawyers for Terry Christensen asked the court to force reporters David Halbfinger and Allison Hope Weiner to reveal the names of their sources for an article published in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times said Monday.

In the motion, lawyers said the Times article slanted evidence against Christensen, accused of ordering an illegal wiretap of billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's former wife.

At the time, the couple were engaged in a contentious child-support case, and Christensen hired co-defendant Anthony Pellicano as a private investigator.

The motion said the article presented confidential recordings "out of context" with the intent to "pillory [Christensen] in public." It accused the government of leaking material that could not be challenged because of a court-imposed gag order.

In the motion, Christensen's lawyer said prosecutors have done nothing to prevent the repeated breaches of the court's order not to release documents and audio recordings related to the case.