AUSTIN, Texas (Texas Insider Report) — In a little-watched legal battle that continues to wind its way through the Texas courts, the Texas Supreme Court is set to hear a 1st Amendment case today that holds potential wide-ranging implications for future freedom of the press considerations – and what kinds of information can be kept secret from the public.
According to the Houston Forward Times:"It has been a long-standing principle that such court documents shall remain available for the public, and its an important standard for upholding legal accountability. The public deserves to understand the facts of the case that led to such massive damages, and which may ultimately shape the very definition of what is – or is not – deemed legally worthy of trade secret protection.
"The Houston Forward Times is keenly aware of the threats posed through the indiscriminately issuing sealing motions, and the stakes for protecting freedom of speech and public access to information.
"The 1st Amendment serves as a cornerstone of liberty, and it must be protected with vigilance. When exceptions may be warranted, they must be weighed with prudence."
"The Houston Forward Times is keenly aware of the threats posed through the indiscriminately issuing sealing motions, and the stakes for protecting freedom of speech and public access to information.
"The 1st Amendment serves as a cornerstone of liberty, and it must be protected with vigilance. When exceptions may be warranted, they must be weighed with prudence."
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and others in support of the sanctity of the U.S. Constitution are also looking to the Texas Supreme Court, anxiously awaiting its decision in this case.
The issue comes before the court as part of a broader trade secrets dispute that led to the largest jury award in Bexar County, Texas, history – a stunning $740 million.
The Texas Supreme Court's consideration comes after that award was overturned by Texas’s 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The case involves an ongoing legal dispute between title insurance company Amrock (formerly Title Source) and the real estate valuations firm HouseCanary.
In 2018, HouseCanary sued Amrock for misappropriating trade secrets related to an Automated Valuation Model (AVM,) and was awarded $706 million
Near the conclusion of the 2018 trial, HouseCanary asked the trial court to seal exhibits retroactively, which resulted in 14 trial exhibits being sealed six weeks after the trial ended..
