Court Orders CAIR to Disclose Donor Information in Defamation Case

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by a former employee who accused the organization of ties to foreign funding and misconduct.

A U.S. magistrate judge ruled that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) must disclose its funding sources, including foreign donors, as part of a defamation lawsuit brought by former employee Lori Saroya.
Saroya filed the lawsuit after CAIR dropped its own defamation case against her in 2022, which alleged she harmed the group’s reputation with claims of misconduct and foreign funding ties.
The court's decision allows discovery into CAIR’s fundraising practices, donor management, and allegations of workplace retaliation and harassment raised by Saroya.
CAIR has faced prior scrutiny, including being named an unindicted co-conspirator in a 2008 federal terror financing case and criticism for alleged links to Hamas, which the organization denies.
The case could lead to significant disclosures about CAIR’s operations, with Saroya seeking $75,000 in damages and a retraction of a press release she claims defamed her.