How Companies Keep Public Records Private

This NYT article/news analysis details how the decline of newspapers in popularity (and in turn, resources for the outlets) is having a marked negative effect on public disclosure processes in legal proceedings.

The article detailed a case moving toward the Supreme Court regarding a media outlet’s right to be present during jury selection of a criminal proceeding.

More interestingly, the article also details an example of how corporations can hide what should be public record. The case in point - Amtrak lost a $24 million judgment in a suit involving its negligence resulting in severe burns to two teenagers. While on appeal, Amtrak settled with the plaintiffs, and as part of the agreement, asked the judge not only to vacate his decisions, but to “direct LexisNexis and Westlaw to remove the decisions” from “their respective legal research services/databases.”

Troublesomely, the judge obliged.

Comments

[Paul]

Those kids were trespassing and got hurt because of being idiots. They get lawsuit happy lawyers to win "Amtrak Lotto" payout. The settlement payout comes out of Amtrak's operating budget (Repairs and Maintenance) or your tax dollars which pays out to those weasel trespassing loafers.