FOIA Claims Bring Electroshock Device Dispute Back To Courts

A year after Congress officially gave the FDA the power to ban devices for a specific use, the school that inspired the new law is taking the agency back to court on allegations it has failed to respond to document requests. 

FOIA on wooden blocks balanced on red book.
• Source: Shutterstock

The US Food and Drug Administration’s ongoing attempt to ban a controversial behavioral-modification device has spurred another lawsuit, as the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC) recently filed a complaint alleging that the agency improperly withheld records requested by JRC.

JRC is a Boston-area school for people with developmental disabilities and severe behavioral issues. The facility uses an FDA-cleared “aversive...

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