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Scottish Council Demands MSNBC Host Stephanie Ruhle’s Emails in Under Armour Case

Lawyers for the council want to see the journalist’s correspondence with Under Armour’s founder, Kevin Plank.

A city council in Scotland is attempting to force Bloomberg to release emails sent between its former anchor Stephanie Ruhle and Under Armour founder Kevin Plank. Aberdeen City Council has been fighting a legal battle with the sportswear company for years over allegations that Under Armour artificially inflated its share price, ultimately causing the council—which had invested in the company’s stock—to lose millions from a pension scheme for public sector workers. Documents filed in the Southern District of New York show Aberdeen’s lawyers served Bloomberg with a subpoena in January in an effort to get hold of Ruhle’s correspondence with Plank, with attorneys arguing the messages would form “important evidence” in the ongoing lawsuit. Bloomberg has so far refused to disclose the emails sent by Ruhle—who now hosts MSNBC’s The 11th Hour—on the grounds of reporter’s privilege. The council’s lawyers argue that Ruhle and Plank had a “close, personal relationship” that could not be characterized as a protected “an independent journalist-source relationship” protected by the First Amendment.