Activist sues over regent’s closed file

Ethics activist George Anderson filed a motion Monday in Gwinnett County Superior Court seeking public access to files in a lawsuit involving Richard L. Tucker, the chairman of the Georgia Board of Regents.

Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Ronnie K. Batchelor sealed almost every filing in the case, in which United Community Bank sued Tucker and several business entities. Batchelor sealed the file at Tucker’s request. The judge said in an order that the allegations in the lawsuit are “of a defamatory nature” and would cause “embarrassment and annoyance” for Tucker if disclosed.

“He should never have sealed that,” Anderson said.

Tucker, a prominent Gwinnett businessman, declined to comment.

— Carrie Teegardin