Filing Summary

New York Supreme Court Judge Melissa Crane ruled against the NRA in seeking to reargue its motion for shielding certain communications with Ackerman McQueen, the NRA’s former public relations firm, from the New York Attorney General as privileged. 

In her short decision, Judge Crane held that the NRA “shared information, not with its attorney, but with its public relations company, the services of which it used to interface with the public. Under these circumstances, any expectations of privilege would be unreasonable and privilege waived.”

Judge Crane made a similar ruling on February 24, 2020 granting the New York Attorney General’s motion to compel Ackerman McQueen to produce documents in connection with the investigation of the NRA. In that ruling, the court focused on the public-reaching nature of Ackerman’s involvement with the NRA as reason “it would be unreasonable to expect confidentiality.”  As the court stated, “The NRA cannot use its publicist as a sword and a shield, for public outreach when it feels so inclined, and, in other instances, remain tucked away from public view.