Seattle Times Co. v. Rhinehart
United States Supreme Court
467 U.S. 20 (1984)
Relevant factsFree
In Rhinehart's (plaintiff) defamation suit against the Seattle Times (defendant), the trial court allowed broad discovery of the religious group's donor and membership information but simultaneously entered a protective order barring the newspaper from publishing that discovered information, reasoning disclosure would cause annoyance, embarrassment, and oppression; the Washington Supreme Court affirmed.
IssueFree
Whether the prevention of abuse that can result from produced information during discovery is sufficient to justify a protective order.
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