In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday released antitrust amnesty agreements that it has signed with some 100 corporations since August 1993. The release was part of a settlement of a Freedom of Information Act suit against the government, which also agreed to pay $40,000 in attorney fees to the law firm of White & Case.
Making the deals public won’t help reporters or gossipmongers, since all the juicy details have been edited out — even the name of the company that’s a party to the agreement. But it could help other corporations that want to negotiate an amnesty agreement with the Justice Department to avoid prosecution for violating federal antitrust law.
