9/1/22-Micky Dolenz sues FBI

Source: (CNN)

The Monkees’ only surviving group member, Micky Dolenz, has filed a lawsuit against the FBI for any records that may involve him, his late bandmates, or the band itself.

The Monkees were investigated by the FBI for alleged anti-Vietnam war activities in 1967 related to a concert in which they flashed pictures and messages in protest against the conflict, according to the complaint filed by Dolenz.

Dolenz and his late bandmates Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Peter Tork were also investigated for another matter that has been redacted, the complaint states.

A portion of the FBI file on the band was released to the public a little over a decade ago, but, Dolenz, now 77, wants to see the complete case file.

“References to the band appear in two places in FBI files: a 1967 Los Angeles Field Office memorandum on anti-Vietnam war activities and a second document redacted entirely,” the FBI website states.

A Freedom of Information Act request he filed in June failed to get a response from the FBI, according to the Dolenz complaint.

“This lawsuit is designed to obtain any records the FBI created and/or possesses on the Monkees as well as its individual members,” the suit states. “Mr. Dolenz has exhausted all necessary required administrative remedies with respect to his [Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act] request.”

CNN has reached out to the FBI and the Department of Justice for comment.

The Monkees had a record breaking four No. 1 albums in 1967, along with their popular sitcom that ran from 1966 – 1968.

CNN’s Holmes Lybrand contributed to this story.