AT&T must share documents with government witnesses, court rules

AT&T will have to share sensitive company documents with the Justice Department’s outside lawyers and witnesses, a U.S. District Court ruled.

The Justice Department is suing AT&T to block its acquisition of T-Mobile, arguing the deal would violate antitrust law by stifling competition in the wireless market. AT&T had already filed the documents with the Federal Communications Commission, but it resisted allowing the Justice Department to share documents with outside witnesses. AT&T argued that the documents contain confidential company information that witnesses would not need. “Plaintiffs’ request will enhance their ability to focus on the pertinent witnesses and to target their pre-trial preparations, thereby facilitating the just and efficient resolution of this matter at trial,” wrote Special Master Richard Levie, who is overseeing document pre-trial issues for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.