Washington Post v. Insurance Department

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Washington Post vs. Insurance Department Number: 61 N.Y.2d 557, 463 N.E.2d 604 Year: 1984 State: New York Court: State of New York Court of Appeals Other lawsuits in New York Other lawsuits in 1984 Precedents include: {{{Precedent}}}

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Washington Post v. Insurance Department was a 1984 case before the State of New York Court of Appeals concerning the New York Freedom of Information Law.

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The court held that a "promise of confidentiality . . . is irrelevant to whether the requested documents fit within the Legislature's definition of records. . . . Nor is it relevant [whether] the documents originated outside the government."

The court granted access to minutes of insurance company meetings. The minutes had been voluntarily given by a private insurance company to the state's Insurance Department under a promise of confidentiality.