The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has rejected a motion by Aaron Greenspan seeking limited discovery from Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and DCI Group in an ongoing litigation under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
In its ruling, the court held that the proposed discovery concerning alleged cyberattacks on Greenspan’s website was not sufficiently relevant to the underlying FOIA dispute involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The court maintained that a FOIA proceeding cannot be used to pursue discovery unrelated to the legal questions before it.
Reacting to the decision, appellate advocate Christopher W. Carmichael said the rejection of the request against Tinubu and DCI Group reinforced the importance of keeping litigants focused on issues properly before the court.
The court also denied a separate application by non-party Karl Von Batten seeking permission to file an amicus curiae brief, as well as Greenspan’s related request for judicial notice.
Another defence counsel in the matter, Oluwole Afolabi, said the court’s decisions, including its rejection of the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and the proposed amicus brief, would help keep the proceedings focused on the issues before it.
The rulings clarify the procedural boundaries of the case and the matters the court considers relevant to the ongoing FOIA dispute.