W. Neal McBrayer Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

Court of Appeals gives NewsChannel 5 Phil Williams a win in ongoing libel case by DA

The Court of Appeals affirmed today that fair and accurate news reports of judicial proceedings are protected from defamation claims, giving a win to NewsChannel 5 and its chief investigative reporter Phil Williams in an ongoing libel suit by Davidson County's district attorney. The win was also one for the public, who rely on news media to report on what is happening in our courtrooms. NewsChannel 5 chief investigative reporter Phil Williams Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk sued NewsChannel 5, owned by Scripps Media, Inc., after reports by Williams were aired in February 2016 that were based on allegations in lawsuits by real estate developer David Chase. [...]

Court of Appeals considers access to crime records in Tennessee

By Deborah Fisher|2021-02-02T10:35:57-06:00June 11, 2014|Categories: crime records, investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Doug Pierce, Frank G. Clement Jr., Janet Kleinfelter, Maria De Varenne, Nashville, Richard Dinkins, Rick Hollow, Robb Harvey, Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, Tennessee Press Association, The Tennessean, Vanderbilt rape case, W. Neal McBrayer|0 Comments

By Deborah Fisher, TCOG Executive Director Spectators packed the courtroom June 9 for oral arguments in the appeal of the public records case, The Tennessean et al v. Metro Government of Nashville. The petition was brought by The Tennessean and a media coalition after it requested to see crime records collected by police concerning an alleged rape at Vanderbilt University, and were denied access. So many people filled the rows of the appellate court that it prompted Judge Frank G. Clement to make a light note that the court usually doesn’t draw such a crowd. But the room quickly grew serious as lawyers began their arguments and the three appellate judges [...]