3rd Circuit Affirms Order Denying Honeywell, Ford Motor Access to Asbestos Bankruptcy Documents

PHILADELPHIA –– The 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has denied Honeywell International Inc. and Ford Motor Co.’s efforts to obtain thousands of exhibits produced in nearly 10 asbestos bankruptcies, saying that the public’s right of access to judicial records is not absolute.

In the Aug. 19 order, the 3rd Circuit found that the District Court’s order affirming a Bankruptcy Court decision denying access was “thorough and well-reasoned.”

Honeywell International Inc. and Ford Motor Co. appealed the federal court’s order, which affirmed the Bankruptcy Court’s denial of the defendants’ efforts to obtain unconditional access to thousands of exhibits submitted to …