Open Courts Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

5 Jul, 2018

OxyContin maker Purdue withdraws effort to close parts of state’s lawsuit

By Deborah Fisher|2018-07-12T11:55:10-05:00July 5, 2018|Categories: court records, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|1 Comment

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has withdrawn its motion for a protective order to conceal parts of the state of Tennessee's lawsuit against it that contains allegations and evidence of unlawful conduct. The state's attorney general filed its 274-page lawsuit under temporary seal, but argued the seal should be lifted within 10 days. Purdue then filed a motion for a protective order to seal parts of the lawsuit, claiming specific information in it were trade secrets that could harm its competitive position if revealed. Purdue Pharma headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. TCOG was permitted to intervene in the case, along with Knoxville News Sentinel Editor Jack McElroy, to oppose efforts [...]

15 Jun, 2018

Column: Opioid trial must be completely open

By Deborah Fisher|2018-06-15T10:58:41-05:00June 15, 2018|Categories: Open Courts, public records lawsuits Tennessee, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Deborah Fisher, Herbert Slatery, Jack McElroy, OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, Rick Hollow, TCOG news|0 Comments

An OxyContin tablet. Purdue Pharma, who makes OxyContin, has asked for a protective order in a Knoxville circuit court to keep concealed some details of allegations by the state of Tennessee that it violated a 2007 court order and the state's consumer protection laws. In 2007, the state of Tennessee and 25 other states reached a $19.5 million settlement agreement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, who they alleged was violating consumer laws in the marketing of their cash cow opioid drug. Among other allegations, the states said Purdue engaged in illegal marketing and downplayed the risks of addiction. Tennessee’s portion of the settlement was about $720,000. Kentucky [...]

22 May, 2018

TCOG, KNS file motion to intervene to keep records open in state’s lawsuit against Purdue Pharma

By Deborah Fisher|2018-05-22T10:15:53-05:00May 22, 2018|Categories: Open Courts, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: courts, Herbert Slatery, proprietary records, Purdue Pharma, sealed court records, TCOG news|0 Comments

NEWS from Tennessee Coalition for Open Government: We have filed, along with Jack McElroy, editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel, a motion to intervene in the state's opioid lawsuit against Purdue Pharma to oppose and object to any order restricting public access to records, exhibits, testimony, pleadings and other materials in the case. Deborah Fisher Read: Motion for leave to intervene Memorandum of law, citations of authority and argument in support of motion for leave to intervene Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery filed the action against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, L.P. on May 15 in Knoxville Circuit Court. The complaint was filed under seal with an accompanying motion [...]

16 May, 2018

Will Purdue Pharma be able to keep Tennessee’s opioid lawsuit sealed?

By Deborah Fisher|2018-06-12T12:19:54-05:00May 16, 2018|Categories: Open Courts|Tags: courts, Herbert Slatery, Judge Kristi Davis, proprietary records, Purdue Pharma, sealed court records|0 Comments

The lawsuit by the state of Tennessee against Purdue Pharma in a Knoxville Circuit Court yesterday was filed under "temporary" seal to allow the company time to seek a protective order to keep it from the public's eye. Will the company be successful? Tennessee is not the only state suing the OxyContin maker. Purdue Pharma is facing 22 state lawsuits to date that, similar to this one, allege the company misrepresented the drug's risks, broke consumer protection laws and helped cause an expensive public health crisis now being shouldered by taxpayers. It also is facing hundreds of other civil suits. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery Attorney General Herbert [...]

24 Apr, 2017

Proposed rule change could erode access to court records, lawyers say

By Deborah Fisher|2017-04-25T07:44:42-05:00April 24, 2017|Categories: court records|Tags: court records, Doug Pierce, John Williams, Rick Hollow, Robb Harvey, Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, Tennessee Bar Association, Tennessee Supreme Court|0 Comments

Some of the state’s leading news media attorneys are concerned that a proposed expansion of rules on public access to court records in Tennessee is overly broad and could erode access at the trial court level. The proposed change to the Tennessee Supreme Court rules would expand exemptions to the lower courts with language that one lawyer says is "vague to the point of potential constitutional infirmity." (Gavel illustration by www.weisspaarz.com, licensed under CC BY SA-2.0) The Tennessee Supreme Court has proposed changing Rule 34 “Policies and Guidelines Regarding Appellate Judicial Records,” which defines certain court records not open for inspection, such as unpublished drafts of judicial orders and [...]