WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court ruled yesterday that a journalist does not have a legal right to see consultant reports prepared for American International Group Inc as part of an agreement between the company and securities regulators.
The unanimous ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed a finding in a lower court that the reports must be disclosed.
The information in question grew out of a 2004 dispute between AIG and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In resolving the dispute, AIG agreed to hire an outside consultant to review some of its internal policies.
After unsuccessfully asking the SEC for a copy of the consultant’s work, including any reports and other information, journalist Sue Reisinger filed a request in federal court in Washington in 2011.
A judge ordered AIG and the SEC to turn over copies of the records, but the appeals court disagreed, finding that the reports are not public records under the law.
“Documents created by the independent consultant are not government documents,” Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote for a three-judge panel.
