ProPublica has sued the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
claiming the agency failed to promptly process a request for correspondence
with a consultant about Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant used during the Vietnam
War.
The lawsuit, filed late Friday in U.S. District Court in
Washington, D.C., alleges that the delays violated the Freedom of Information
Act, a 50-year-old law whose mission is to provide the public with information
about government operations.
ProPublica submitted a FOIA request in May, requesting
correspondence between various VA officials and scientist Alvin Young, who has
guided the stance of the military and VA on Agent Orange and whether it has
harmed service members. The request also sought internal correspondence about
any contracts awarded to Young or his consulting firm.
To date, the VA has not provided any of the requested documents.
“We always try, as we did in this case, to resolve records issues
without filing a lawsuit.” said Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica’s editor in
chief. “The documents that relate to Dr. Young’s government-paid work are
exactly the sort of material the Freedom of Information Act covers. We look
forward to reporting on their contents as soon as possible.”
