CAUS Phoenix Lights lawsuit
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 8
| Date | 22 January 1999 |
|---|---|
| People | Barry Goldwater, Peter Gersten |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 137 |
| Year | 1999 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1999 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 8 |
In 1999 lawyer Peter Gersten, director of the group Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS), sued the U.S. Department of Defense under the Freedom of Information Act for records about the "Phoenix Lights" of March 1997 and other triangle sightings. No significant UFO records were released.[1][2]
The Phoenix Lights
On the evening of 13 March 1997 thousands of people across Arizona reported lights in the sky. Two events were later distinguished: a V-shaped formation of lights moving over the state in the early evening, which many said was a single huge craft, and a row of stationary lights over Phoenix later that night, which the military said were flares dropped by A-10 aircraft during an exercise at the Barry Goldwater Range.[3]
Gersten and CAUS
Gersten, a criminal defence lawyer, had in 1977 sued the CIA under the Freedom of Information Act on behalf of the group Ground Saucer Watch, leading to the release of hundreds of pages of CIA UFO documents. In 1998 he sued the Army for records cited in Philip Corso's book The Day After Roswell, a case later dismissed.[1][2]
The lawsuit
The suit, filed in federal court in Phoenix, sought Defense Department records on the Phoenix Lights and a 1997 triangle sighting in Illinois. On 7 February 2000 Chief Judge Stephen McNamee heard the government's motion for summary judgment and ordered the Defense Department to provide more detailed affidavits about its search; Gersten said he wanted to question officials under oath. No significant records resulted.[2][4]
Legacy
The Phoenix Lights remain one of the most famous mass sightings in U.S. history. Arizona Governor Fife Symington mocked the event at a press conference at the time, but in 2007 said he had seen a large craft himself that night. The early-evening formation has been attributed by some investigators to aircraft flying in formation, which many witnesses reject.[3]
People and topics
- Phoenix Lights — The mass sighting over Arizona on 13 March 1997.
- Barry Goldwater — U.S. senator and Air Force Reserve general who said he was denied access to UFO material at Wright-Patterson.
- Peter Gersten — Lawyer who directed Citizens Against UFO Secrecy and sued federal agencies for UFO records.
- Citizens Against UFO Secrecy — A civilian group that sued U.S. agencies for UFO records.
- Freedom of Information Act — The 1966 U.S. law that lets the public request government records.
- Unidentified flying object — An object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
On the Timeline
- Bigelow's contact contingency planning (1999) (8 January 1999) — Bigelow discusses the need for a plan if alien contact were confirmed.
- Burned Kennedy MJ memo (23 January 1999) — An alleged JFK-era 'MJ' memo is sent to a researcher.
See every 1999 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- Peter Gersten — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Citizens Against UFO Secrecy — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Phoenix Lights — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "May 12, 1999: Citizens Against UFO Secrecy — lawsuit — Peter Gersten", The Art Bell Archive · metacast.app · archived copy
- The Phoenix Lights incident — The Black Vault · theblackvault.com · archived copy
- CAUS v. Department of Defense, Phoenix hearing report (archive) · geocities.ws · archived copy
- How media got the Phoenix Lights wrong — KJZZ · kjzz.org · archived copy
- culteducation.com · culteducation.com · archived copy
Further reading
- Phoenix Lights — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
No discussion yet.