Airline Fights Disclosure in Buffalo Crash Lawsuits

Colgan Air is asking a judge to keep confidential statements and documents it's filed in lawsuits stemming from the 2009 crash of Continental Flight 3407 near Buffalo.

In a motion filed Thursday in federal court in Buffalo, the regional airline and its parent, Pinnacle Airlines, say they want to stop lawyers for passengers' families from swaying potential jurors.

The motion comes after the release last month of internal Colgan emails about pilot Marvin Renslow's qualifications to fly the type of aircraft that crashed. The emails created a media firestorm and raised questions about whether Colgan had improperly withheld important information from the federal agency that investigated the crash.

Attorneys for the families on Thursday strongly denied that they're trying to sway potential jurors.

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