Court Rejects Gotham Press Shield Bid
- New York Judge Lewis J. Liman rejected Gotham City Research and GIP's appeal seeking journalist shield protections on 20 August.
- An earlier US judge had already denied Gotham the right to withhold sources and materials under press-protection rules; Liman's ruling upholds that decision.
- The ruling reduces Gotham's procedural options in the continuing defamation case brought against it by Grifols in US courts.
A New York court has dealt a significant blow to Gotham City Research and General Industrial Partners (GIP) in their legal confrontation with Grifols, rejecting the short-selling firm's attempt to claim the source-protection rights ordinarily afforded to journalists.
Appeal dismissed on 20 August
District Judge Lewis J. Liman communicated the ruling on 20 August, upholding an earlier decision by a separate US judge that had already denied Gotham and GIP the ability to invoke journalist shield protections — the legal mechanism that allows reporters to withhold sources and unpublished materials from court proceedings. The appeal challenged that earlier refusal; Judge Liman has now dismissed it.
What the ruling means for the case
The rejection narrows the legal options available to Gotham City Research as it continues to contest Grifols's defamation action in the United States. The question of whether Gotham must disclose sources and internal materials to the Spanish pharmaceutical group now remains live, with the firm having lost one of what the source characterised as its remaining procedural advantages. The wider dispute between the two parties is described as unresolved, and no outcome in the underlying defamation claim has been indicated by the available material.
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