Raimondo to appeal to high court for 38 Studios grand jury records
PROVIDENCE (AP) — Rhode Island's governor said on Thursday she would appeal to the state Supreme Court to release secret grand jury records from the investigation into the state's failed $75 million deal with the videogame company started by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.
Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo said she would appeal a judge's decision last month denying her request to release the records in the 38 Studios case.
"I was against 38 Studios from the very beginning and hold firm that Rhode Islanders deserve to know what happened," Raimondo said in a written statement.
She also reiterated her support for legislation that's been moving through the General Assembly to release the records. A Senate committee on Wednesday approved the bill and forwarded it to the full Senate, and the House has passed similar legislation.
The governor said she will sign it "as soon as it reaches my desk."
Democratic Attorney General Peter Kilmartin has opposed the efforts to make the records public, saying he is concerned about setting a precedent in releasing secret grand jury records.
No criminal charges were brought after the grand jury concluded its work, and Kilmartin's office has said there was not enough evidence to ask the grand jury to return charges.
Schilling struck a deal in 2010 to move his company from Massachusetts to Rhode Island in exchange for a $75 million loan guarantee. Less than two years after the move, 38 Studios ran out of money and went bankrupt.
The state sued several people and companies involved in the deal and received about $61 million in settlements.
Schilling, who also played for the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks before ending his career with Boston in 2007, has said 38 Studios fully disclosed its financial condition to the state.