In a remarkable blow to freedom of information, a federal trial judge ruled this summer that a company could sue a product safety agency anonymously for posting an improper report about the company, sealed the opinion entirely for several months and then released it in heavily redacted form. According to consumer groups now challenging the decision, this is the first known example of a court both allowing a corporation to sue anonymously, and agreeing to seal a case, all so the company could protect its reputation.
The lawsuit was also the first-ever legal challenge to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's database, launched in 2011 to provide access to consumer safety complaints before potentially hazardous products are recalled. |