Journalist Sues SC Attorney General For Public Records

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A freelance journalist from Newberry has sued South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, saying he has intentionally withheld public records she requested in the fight over entertainer James Brown’s estate. Sue Summer sued Wilson last month, saying he is violating South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act. She wants Wilson to release the diary of the woman who said she was Brown’s wife when he died in 2006. Summer also wants the contract between Wilson’s office and a private law firm handling a lawsuit concerning a settlement over the soul singer’s estate.

Wilson says he’s a strong advocate of public records laws, but some things can’t be released because the estate battle is still in court. He says some of the items Summer requested don’t exist or his office doesn’t have.