Daily Record: Top Md. court sides with Prince George’s residents seeking more info on deal. #PublicInformationAct

Commercial leases voluntarily submitted to counties cannot be totally and automatically shielded from public view, Maryland’s top court has unanimously ruled in a case involving the Whole Foods in Prince George’s County.

Rather, judges can prevent only the public release of information that the submitting party does not “customarily” release, such as trade secrets and commercial and financial information of benefit to competitors, the Court of Appeals said Monday in siding with county residents seeking additional information about the upscale supermarket’s lease in Riverdale Park.

The high court said its decision strikes an appropriate balance among the public’s need for information, the landlord’s desire to protect proprietary figures and the counties’ goal of ensuring companies remain willing to provide information voluntarily...

http://thedailyrecord.com/2017/05/24/md-top-court-sides-with-prince-georges-residents-seeking-more-info-on-whole-foods-deal/