NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Nashville television reporter has been ordered to hand over documents from his investigation of a district attorney.
The Tennessean reports a judge in Nashville on Friday ruled WTVF-TV reporter Phil Williams must release the documents as part of District Attorney Glenn Funk's pending libel lawsuit against him.
Williams published a February 2016 story based on depositions and quoting text messages from a developer who had faced criminal charges by Funk that were later dropped.
Funk's lawyers hope to prove that Williams acted with malice.
Williams attorney Ron Harris argued against releasing the information, citing journalists' news gathering privileges. The judge cited an exception in Tennessee's shield law in defamation cases in ruling those privileges did not apply.
The case is set for trial in October.