Westinghouse Electric Corporation-Research & Development Center v. Brown

443 F. Supp. 1225, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12117, 19 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 655
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedDecember 30, 1977
DocketCiv. A. No. 77-604-A
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 443 F. Supp. 1225 (Westinghouse Electric Corporation-Research & Development Center v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Westinghouse Electric Corporation-Research & Development Center v. Brown, 443 F. Supp. 1225, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12117, 19 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 655 (E.D. Va. 1977).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

CLARKE, District Judge.

Plaintiff, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, brings this “reverse” Freedom of Information Act suit pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552, 18 U.S.C. § 1905, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-8(e); 44 U.S.C. § 3508. Jurisdiction is alleged under 5 U.S.C. § 702; 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and 28 U.S.C. § 1337. .

After a hearing on August 8, 1977, this Court granted plaintiff’s motion for a temporary restraining order, enjoining the defendants from releasing the information in controversy to anyone other than authorized governmental agencies and the plaintiff until plaintiff’s claim for declaratory and permanent injunctive relief could be heard and decided. The hearing on the preliminary injunction was consolidated with that on permanent relief and the case was tried on September 26, 1977. At trial plaintiff introduced the disputed documents after it was agreed their confidentiality would be maintained until the Court made its decision. The information in issue is contained in five documents denominated at trial as defendants’ Exhibit # 1 (A through E) and consisting of: A) Westinghouse’s 1976 Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) for its research and development center in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; B) AAP support data including a detailed work force analysis contained in a computer printout; C) correspondence between Westinghouse and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) delineating the parties’ positions on the disclosability of the AAP and related data; D) an analysis of 1975 accomplishments in meeting affirmative action goals; E) a Standard Compliance Review Report Form (SCRRF) completed on April 4, 1976, and the notes of the Equal Opportunity Specialist (EOS) who made out this SCRRF.

At trial the employment manager of the research and development center testified for Westinghouse as did three expert witnesses. Harriet Ehrlich, employed by the requester of the information, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, testified for the defendants and the testimony of defendants’ expert witness, Dr. Sar Levi-tan, was introduced by way of a deposition taken on September 21, 1977.

After both sides had presented their evidence, this Court continued the temporary restraining order in effect, with the consent of the parties, until additional briefs had been submitted and the Court had the opportunity to prepare an opinion and final order as to all the issues involved.

Background

On March 21, 1977, Westinghouse was informed by a representative of the Defense Contract Administrative Services Region (DCASR), Philadelphia Regional Office, that DCASR had received a request from the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission for information regarding recent compliance reviews of the Westinghouse research and development center. At this time, Westinghouse was informed that the AAP for the center, including the work force analysis by division and related statistical data, would be made available to the state commission. An exchange of correspondence regarding the impending release of information then occurred between Westinghouse and the DLA and OFCCP. In a letter dated April 7, 1977, Richard J. Levin, Chief of the Plans and Analyses Di[1228]*1228vision of the Contractor Employment Compliance Directorate of DLA agreed to delete from the data the names, salaries, Social Security numbers and other personal information pertaining to Westinghouse employees.

This personnel data, to be deleted by the DLA, would, according to a letter of July 19, 1977 from OFCCP, remain undisclosed although OFCCP did recommend at that time that DLA reconsider its decision and allow this information to be released. However, Weldon J. Rougeau, Director of OFCCP, did agree to further delete: the names of departments and their identifying code numbers appearing on the top lefthand side of each sheet of the computer printed work force analysis; paragraph 1(6) on page 2 of the AAP; and the attachment entitled “Profile: Westinghouse Research Laboratories.”

Westinghouse proceeded to administratively contest disclosure and the appeals process was exhausted on July 19, 1977, when in a letter referred to above, the OFCCP notified Westinghouse that the requested material with those deletions already stated would be released. The DLA and the Department of Labor agreed not to disclose the disputed information until Westinghouse’s application for judicial relief could be heard. On August 8, 1977, Westinghouse commenced this action and a temporary restraining order was issued by this Court.

I.

Although plaintiff initially advanced a great number of legal theories to support its demand for nondisclosure, after oral argument and extensive briefing, plaintiff’s final position appears to be that the information in dispute is exempt under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(4), (6) and that disclosure of this data is therefore barred under the FOIA and under 18 U.S.C. § 1905.1

The FOIA mandates the disclosure by every agency of agency rules, opinions, orders, records and proceeding, 5 U.S.C. § 552(a). With certain exceptions, not applicable here, an “agency” is considered to be each and every authority of the United States, Government. 5 U.S.C. § 551(1). Exempt from the provisions of the FOIA are nine categories of information, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(l)-(9), two of which are relevant here: 1) “trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential,” 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(4); and 2) “personnel and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6).

Plaintiff does not claim under the 552(b)(4) exemption that the information here in dispute contains trade secrets or that it is privileged. It does assert that the data comprises confidential commercial and financial information within the meaning of the FOIA. The most authoritative interpretation of the (b)(4) exemption appears in National Parks and Conservation Association v. Morton, 162 U.S.App.D.C. 223, 228, 498 F.2d 765

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United Technologies Corp. v. Marshall
464 F. Supp. 845 (D. Connecticut, 1979)
Nationwide Mutual Insurance v. Friedman
451 F. Supp. 736 (D. Maryland, 1978)
WESTINGHOUSE ELEC. CORP., ETC. v. Brown
443 F. Supp. 1225 (E.D. Virginia, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
443 F. Supp. 1225, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12117, 19 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 655, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/westinghouse-electric-corporation-research-development-center-v-brown-vaed-1977.