Amazon is taking legal action against a Washington state agency in a bid to stop the release of certain documents to The Washington Post, a publication owned by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.
This lawsuit was initiated this week in King County Superior Court, where the Seattle-based retailer is requesting judicial intervention to prevent the disclosure of what it claims are “trade secrets” pertaining to Project Kuiper, which is an initiative aimed at delivering internet service via satellites.
According to the lawsuit, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries collected these documents during four separate on-site investigations at a Project Kuiper facility that occurred between August and October of the previous year.
In November, The Washington Post submitted a public records request seeking access to documents generated by these investigations. However, the lawsuit does not detail the findings of the state investigators.
In its legal arguments, Amazon clarified that it is not aiming to block all documents from the investigations but is specifically focused on preventing the release of sensitive personal information—including the names of employees—and proprietary information that could expose its technological advancements.
The agency informed Amazon of The Post’s request in early January. According to the lawsuit, the agency provided Amazon a link to the potential records set for release, allowing the company a chance to review them and seek legal action to prevent the disclosure of any material it considers sensitive.
Historically, Amazon and the agency have collaborated on public records matters, but tensions have arisen regarding worker safety concerns.
In 2022, Amazon filed a lawsuit against the agency due to disagreements over citations and fines related to workplace safety. Additionally, Amazon faced significant scrutiny over employee safety issues in Washington, with regulators accusing the company of exposing warehouse workers to risks of injury. A judge ruled in favor of Amazon in July, although the agency was reported to be considering an appeal at that time.
As of Thursday, a representative from the agency had not responded to requests for comments concerning the recent lawsuit filed by Amazon. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for The Washington Post also opted not to comment on the matter.
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994 and served as its CEO until 2021. In 2013, he acquired The Washington Post for $250 million.
In another unrelated development, Amazon announced this week that it plans to lay off a “small number” of employees from its communications and corporate responsibility department, which will likely affect dozens of corporate personnel.
