US Court Dismisses Pegasus Spyware Case Brought by Salvadoran Journalists

A California federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by journalists from the independent Salvadoran outlet El Faro, whose phones were infected with Pegasus spyware. The judge ruled the case lacked jurisdiction in California, marking the second time the lawsuit has been thrown out on these grounds.

The case, filed in 2022 by the Knight First Amendment Institute on behalf of lead plaintiff Carlos Dada and colleagues, was the first US lawsuit against NSO Group, the maker of Pegasus. According to the institute, Dada and others were targeted at least 226 times between June 2020 and November 2021, with attacks intensifying before major investigative stories were published. The plaintiffs had hoped to use the case to force NSO to delete collected data and disclose the identity of the client behind the surveillance.

The journalists argued California had jurisdiction because the attacks relied on compromised infrastructure located in the state, but the court disagreed. The Knight Institute says it plans to appeal, meaning the case may still continue.