Court: Amazon Bid Isn't Covered Under Indiana Records Law

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A state agency that promotes economic development doesn't have to release records related to trying to persuade Amazon to open a second headquarters in Indianapolis, an appeals court said.

The documents held by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. “consisted of records of negotiations and not a final offer of public financial resources," Judge L. Mark Bailey wrote Thursday.

A financial publication, Tax Analysts, had sued to try to get the records under Indiana's public records law.

“We’re talking about public resources that could be spent on other things,” attorney Cornish Hitchcock told the Indianapolis Star. “IEDC is a public agency, and there’s a public interest in knowing how it proposes to use scarce public resources.”

The IEDC has said discussions on economic development projects must remain confidential until an incentive package is agreed upon.

Amazon ultimately picked northern Virginia, outside Washington, as the location.