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San Francisco Transgender Woman Sues DMV Over Clerk's Letter

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A transgender woman who received a personal letter at home from a California Department of Motor Vehicles clerk who helped her obtain a new driver's license is suing the DMV and its now ex-employee.

San Francisco resident Amber Yust filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking compensatory and other damages for the invasion of privacy and emotional distress she said she suffered when she received the letter calling her gender change a "very evil decision."

The same clerk previously had been accused of refusing to assist another transgender woman. He quit his job at the San Francisco DMV in December.

Yust's lawyer, Chris Dolan, said the state refused to pay a claim Yust filed against the DMV, which is why the lawsuit is being brought.

DMV employees are barred from using agency records to contact customers.

  (© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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