News Channel 5, Phil Williams sue Nashville district attorney for withholding records

News Channel 5 Reporter Phil Williams and parent company Scripps Media, Inc. have filed a lawsuit against the Davidson County District Attorney's Office asking a judge to turn over records related to a state wiretapping investigation.

The suit, filed Oct. 25 in Davidson County Chancery Court, says the district attorney's office denied the station's public records request for documents about cameras and microphones that had been placed in public areas around the Nashville office.

"The district attorney's denials of access are willful and improper," the lawsuit said. It also asks the office's record keeper to "immediately appear and show cause, if they have any, why the petition should not be granted."

News Channel 5 is asking the district attorney's office to pay for all costs incurred by obtaining the records.

When reached Thursday, Williams deferred comment to Nashville attorney Ronald Harris, who is representing the reporter and station. Harris declined to comment, saying he would let the lawsuit speak for itself.

The lawyer representing the district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story Thursday.

In February, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti opened a wiretapping investigation into Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk's office to determine whether he or his staff violated state criminal laws — including wiretapping laws — after a News Channel 5 investigation found that listening devices had been placed around Funk's office as a security measure.

Skrmetti's letter asked Funk to preserve all records tied to the purchase, installation, maintenance and operation of the recording devices. Deputy Attorney General Scott Sutherland also signed the letter.

In the lawsuit, News Channel 5 is seeking multiple records, including access to inspect notes taken by every member of Funk's staff who participated in a Feb. 21 meeting to discuss the state's investigation as well as copies of search warrants and documents related to the installation of microphones in Funk's conference room or any other room under his control disguised as sprinklers.

Funk has denied any wrongdoing.

"We have never conducted any unauthorized audio or video recording of any area where a person has a legitimate expectation of privacy," Funk said in a letter earlier this year. "We know what the law allows and what the law prohibits."

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on X @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: News Channel 5, Williams seek records in lawsuit against Nashville DA