WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� on Thursday cleared the way for a National Rifle Association lawsuit against a former New York state official over claims she violated its free-speech rights.
The unanimous opinion reverses a lower court decision tossing out the gun rights group鈥檚 lawsuit against ex-New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo.
The NRA said Vullo pressured banks and insurance companies to blacklist it after in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead in 2018.
The group was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Biden administration argued some of its claims should go forward.
Vullo argued she rightly investigated NRA-endorsed insurance policies sometimes referred to as 鈥渕urder insurance.鈥�
She said she did speak out about the risks of doing business with gun groups but didn鈥檛 exert any improper pressure on companies, many of whom were distancing themselves from the NRA on their own at the time.
Lindsay Whitehurst, The Associated Press
