Lawsuits by stations...how often do they happen?

[PelicanGuy 117]

This topic came to me as I am reading WWL's lawsuit against the City of New Orleans.

Channel 4 filed suit against the city in circuit court because they have yet to receive documents asked for in two public records requests by weekend anchor/reporter Lee Zurik in relation to his ongoing investigation into problems with the now-defunct New Orleans Affordable Homes program (NOAH).

Check the lawsuit here:

http://www.wwltv.com/WWLPetition.pdf

Has any of your respective stations had to file any suits in recent memory?

[WXmanTim 88]

I don't know of any local stations, but newspapers and the networks go to court over similar issues with some regularity. Basically they are trying to get the court to force the City of New Orleans to respond to an FOIA and/or a sunshine law records request.

 

I would imagine most of these types of suits fly under the radar and are not heard about by the average viewer (unless it is mentioned in the report which airs subsequent to the lawsuit. ie: "Channel 4 Eyewitness News eventually sued the city to comply with the request. When they did, here is what we found...").

 

And usually it is the threat of a lawsuit that spurs the records dump, rather than the station/newspaper/network actually having to file a lawsuit. If the state has a open records law, it's pretty much a slam-dunk the court is going to file with the plantiff, which is why it rarely if ever gets to the point of a lawsuit being filed. The government agency will receive far more negative press by losing a lawsuit and turning the documents over than by simply complying with the request in the first place.

[newsie 11]

Well, earlier this year, craptastic WTKR filed a lawsuit in bad taste with the City of Suffolk, VA after they wouldn't let reporters into tornado-damaged areas. This was before they even let the familes in that they filed it.

[who?cares 256]

I know WISH has been sued over their canadian drugs.