LOS ALAMOS N.M.
The University of California is protesting a $3 million fine over a security breach at Los Alamos National Laboratory in which classified documents were found in a drug raid at a trailer.
University spokesman Chris Harrington said the school filed a notice of its intent to seek judicial review of the fine because it wants to protect its legal rights.
“It is important to note that the university has not decided to appeal the decision,” he said.
John Broehm, a spokesman for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, said the agency does not comment on pending legal issues, but said the fine is the largest it has ever issued.
The fine came after authorities found more than 1,000 pages of lab documents at the home of a former employee of subcontractor. The documents were found during an October 2006 police raid aimed at another person living there.
The university has denied violating Energy Department requirements and said it was not responsible because a subcontractor’s employee, not a university employee, committed the breach. The school also noted it was not the lab manager at the time.
