Document Type: Litigation

Complaint: American Oversight v. HHS, Treasury, State, and OMB — Meadows’s Texts and Emails

May 20, 2020
Lawsuit filed by American Oversight against the Office of Management and Budget and the Departments of Health and Human Services, the Treasury, and State for Rep. Mark Meadows’s emails and text messages in the months of his transition to the role of White House chief of staff.

Complaint: American Oversight v. CDC and HHS — FOIA Request Violations

May 15, 2020
Lawsuit filed by American Oversight against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over the department’s practice of rejecting valid Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests — including requests related to the coronavirus pandemic.

American Oversight v. State — Grenell’s Security Clearance

May 15, 2020
Lawsuit filed by American Oversight against the Department of State for the release of security clearance paperwork and interview notes for Richard Grenell, the U.S. Ambassador to Germany and Acting Director for National Intelligence.

Complaint: American Oversight and Union of Concerned Scientists v. USDA and GSA — USDA Kansas City Relocation

May 13, 2020
Lawsuit filed by the Union of Concerned Scientists and American Oversight against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the General Services Administration for records — including site visit records, cost analyses, and decision memos — regarding the relocation of USDA offices to 805 Pennsylvania Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. The building selected for the relocation is co-owned by a business belonging to Michael Merriman, a prominent Repblican donor in Kansas and Missouri.

Complaint: Student Defense v. ED — Gainful Employment Rule Communications

May 13, 2020
Lawsuit filed by Student Defense, represented by American Oversight, against the Department of Education for communications with non-government parties regarding the Gainful Employment Rule, which Secretary Betsy DeVos repealed in July 2019. The Gainful Employment rule sought to protect borrowers from for-profit colleges that graduate students with excessive loan debt.

Complaint: Spencer v. Gov. Sununu – New Hampshire Redistricting Records

May 12, 2020
Louise Spencer’s lawsuit against Gov. Christopher Sununu for communications with voting-restriction groups regarding state redistricting. On June 15, 2020, American Oversight was admitted to this case as co-counsel.

Complaint: American Oversight v. DOJ — Communications Regarding Flynn Prosecution and Case Dismissal

May 11, 2020
Lawsuit filed by American Oversight against the Department of Justice for communications of Attorney General William Barr or his aides regarding the prosecution of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Complaint: Ryo v. DHS, CBP, and ICE — Agency Data on Detainees

May 5, 2020
Lawsuit filed by Emily Ryo, represented by American Oversight, against the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for agencies’ data regarding detainees, including information on detainees’ immigration case history.

Complaint: American Oversight v. HHS, CMS, State, and Treas — Sent Communications Containing Terms Related to Coronavirus 

May 5, 2020
Lawsuit filed by American Oversight against the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of State, and the Department of the Treasury for senior officials’ sent email communications, starting from Jan. 15, 2020, containing terms related to coronavirus.

Complaint: American Oversight v. HHS, FDA – Coronavirus Testing Communications

April 23, 2020
American Oversight's lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration for emails sent by senior officials containing key terms related to coronavirus testing.