Court rules for open records

SEATTLE – Court records in civil cases can’t be sealed without proper scrutiny and justification, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a shareholder lawsuit against a struggling high-tech company.

When InfoSpace Inc. shareholders sued company officials, alleging various types of corporate wrongdoing, the company asked the court to throw the case out. It filed a number of documents to support the motion and persuaded King County Superior Court Judge Sharon Armstrong to seal those documents.

The Seattle Times challenged the order sealing the documents, and in a unanimous decision, the court ruled that a 20-year-old case that largely forbids sealing records in criminal cases applies to civil cases as well.

“The open operation of our courts is of utmost public importance,” Justice Tom Chambers wrote. “Justice must be conducted openly to foster the public’s understanding and trust in our judicial system and to give judges the check of public scrutiny.”

The lawsuit itself was partially stayed and partially dismissed. Thursday’s decision sends the case back to the lower court for decisions on whether specific records should be sealed. The company had argued the records were protected by attorney-client privilege and provisions that allow companies to protect their trade secrets and other competitive information.