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Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration sued over open records request

Gov. Bill Haslam delivers his annual State of the State address to the Tennessee Legislature in Nashville in this Feb. 9, 2015, file photo.
Gov. Bill Haslam delivers his annual State of the State address to the Tennessee Legislature in Nashville in this Feb. 9, 2015, file photo. Gov. Bill Haslam delivers his annual State of the State address to the Tennessee Legislature in Nashville in this Feb. 9, 2015, file photo.

By Andy Sher 3 min read

photo Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam

NASHVILLE — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration has been sued for refusing to release a state-commissioned study of state business tax collections and other documents used to develop the governor’s proposed overhaul of corporate taxes.

Attorney Brett Carter, a Nashville-based corporate tax attorney, filed the suit on Wednesday in Davidson County Chancery Court, saying he has been stymied in obtaining information from Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin’s office.

It’s a “willful” violation of Tennessee’s Open Records Act, Carter’s complaint says.

At the center of the legal action is Carter’s efforts to obtain what officials described as a $350,000 study of the state’s volatile business franchise and excise tax collections.

The lawsuit comes as House and Senate committees prepare to consider next week Haslam’s proposed Revenue Modernization Act, which grew out of the study.