Wal-Mart asks N.C. court to seal documents in tax dispute

Over at the Wall Street Journal‘s Law Blog, Peter Lattman draws attention to Wal-Mart’s decision Tuesday to ask a North Carolina state court to seal future fililngs in a tax dispute case between the company and the state.

The Law Blog has the motion for a protective order, filed by Wal-Mart’s attorney Jasper L. Cummings, Jr. of Alston & Bird in Raleigh. Wrote Cummings:

The posting of such business correspondence on public websites causes unreasonable and undue annoyance and oppression of a party that is attempting to litigate a serious dispute with a public agency. The Chief Justice of North Carolina has determined this to be an exceptional case . . . It is important that this case go to decision and not be unfairly influenced by outside forces.