John P. Freeman

John T. Campbell Professor Emeritus of Business and Professional Ethics
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Law

Contact Information 2329 Wilmot Avenue Columbia, South Carolina 29205 v 803-254-4667 f 803-933-9872 Email

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John Freeman Testifies before U.S. House Subcommittee

John T. Campbell Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Business and Professional Ethics John Freeman testified before a U.S. House subcommittee in a case for a bill that would require federal courts in all states to be as open as those in South Carolina. In most states, settlements in state and federal courts often are secret.

U.S. Judge Joe Anderson and State Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal are advocates for court openness and it's due to their efforts that South Carolina reveals settlement records in cases involving public safety.

In response to critics of the proposed federal legislation who have argued that discretion should be left to the judiciary as to whether to allow confidential settlements, Freeman stated, "The system is broken, and, unfortunately, judges cannot be counted on to fix it."

It is late in Congress' session, and neither the House bill nor the Senate bill is expected to pass this year.

Read the testimony.