Ruling: Agency must identify workers to be used as witnesses

PHOENIX (AP) — An appellate court has ruled that federal officials don’t have to identify all of an Arizona company employees who provided information in a Fair Labor Standards Act case but must identify those who will be trial witnesses. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a case involving the Labor Department and Valley Wide Plastering Construction Inc. Valley Wide had sought the identities of all employees who provided information to the government. But the 9th Circuit said the department could keep the informants’ identities secret. However, it also said Valley Wide is entitled to know the identities of trial witnesses in order to prepare its defense.