Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin's administration has been ordered to pay the Courier Journal's legal cost because it refused to release public records identifying shareholders of a company planning to build a state-subsidized $1.5 billion aluminum rolling mill near Ashland.
The newspaper reports Franklin Circuit Court Judge Phillip Shepherd ordered Bevin's Cabinet for Economic Development to pay almost $30,700 in its legal cost, plus $2,225 in statutory penalties Thursday. In March, Shepherd ruled the government cannot legally withhold public records that identify shareholders of Braidy Industries.
Shepherd said records concerning Braidy's investors will remain under seal for 30 days. He did indicate that shareholders identified in the documents match the names provided by Braidy Industries in December.
Agency spokesman Jack Mazurak says the economic development cabinet plans to appeal the order and Shepherd's earlier ruling.
