The Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled that Corrections Corp. of America must turn over settlement agreements and reports stemming from litigation, two categories of documents the company had argued do not meet the standard definition of public records. The ruling stems from a suit filed years ago by Prison Legal News Managing Editor Alex Friedmann. In late 2011, Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman ordered CCA to turn over the settlement-related documents, saying the company is the functional equivalent of a government agency. Late last week, Appeals Court Judge Frank Clement concurred, saying "the evidence preponderates in favor of the finding that the settlement reports at issue were prepared in the regular course of business." View the full opinion here.

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