Welcome to the third week of Museums in the News!

Highlight this week is the lawsuit filed by Chuck Kortlander, director & owner of the Custer Battlefield Museum. Apparently in 2005 and 2008 his home, business, and the museum were raided by two dozen armed federal agents who claimed they had evidence that he was trafficking in American Indian artifacts. No charges were ever filed, and Kortlander has now filed a civil suit against those federal agents. Read more at the Billings Gazette: Custer Battlefield Museum Owner Sues BLM Agents. (There’s some background on the Four Corners case at the nifty Museum Security blog, here.)

Museum sells pieces of its past, reviving a debate (Philadelphia History Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Museum rallies supporters in budget battle (Monroe County Historical Museum, Monroe, Michigan)

Taiwanese brothel is being re-opened as a museum (The Special Tea House Museum, Kimmen Island, Taiwan)

Getty Villa prepares to say farewell to its goddess (Getty Villa, Malibu, California)

Pirate museum to open in St. Augustine (Pirate & Treasure Museum, St. Augustine, Florida)

Museum Secrets – New television series to premiere in January (Various museums)