Texas Supreme Court Strengthens Corporate Confidentiality Rights

Two Texas Supreme Court decisions have narrowed the scope of the Texas Public Information Act (PIA), making it easier for companies to protect confidential information. In the first case, Boeing Co. v. Paxton, the court ruled that Boeing did not have to turn over sensitive information related to a competitive bid. That overturned a lower court decision that had ruled against Boeing and required the information to be released because it was not proprietary, a trade secret, or otherwise exempt.  “The Boeing opinion creates a potent argument for companies seeking to protect sensitive business information from public disclosure in connection with a PIA request that, previously, was not thought to be viable,” write attorneys from Jones Day.