by Bryan McKenzie
The Daily Progress

It’s not the size of the penalty, it’s the principle behind it, but that principle depends on which side you’re on.

The state Supreme Court has ordered the nonprofit Energy & Environment Legal Institute to pay $250 in damages to former University of Virginia professor Michael Mann and the school following the institute’s failed legal bid to obtain Mann’s emails regarding climate change research…

“We think the amount speaks for itself. It shows our efforts were not frivolous,” said Craig Richardson, the institute’s executive director. “The fact that the case went all the way to the state Supreme Court shows that it was not frivolous. You don’t get frivolous lawsuits that go to the Supreme Court.”

Richardson said the award shows that the court saw little damage done to either Mann or UVa.

“The court saw this as a balancing act between the privacy of research and the public’s right to know,” he said.

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