Labor Department Can Shield Documents in Stock Plan Lawsuit

The US Labor Department can avoid turning over internal documents in its lawsuit involving a barbecue restaurant chain’s employee stock ownership plan, a federal judge ruled.

The defendants, Argent Trust Co. and the selling shareholders of W BBQ Holdings Inc., asked Judge Denise Cote to force the department to disclose 10 documents they said would help them argue that the case must fail because it was filed too late. According to the defendants, these documents suggest the department knew of the alleged legal violations in 2018, which would make its 2024 lawsuit untimely.

• Cote, who sits in the US District ...