Having failed to save the school district millions of dollars…

…JCI is also fighting a ruling requiring them to disclose public data that might help explain where they went wrong in their school building program.

In a continuing David versus Goliath battle, Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls will fight a legal challenge filed by a small Iron Range newspaper seeking records the company has from its work helping to build nearly $80 million worth of new school facilities.

The Ely Timberjay requested records pertaining to Johnson Control’s work for the St. Louis County school district. Johnson Controls refused to release the information, but a state board charged with settling disputes over public information sided with the Timberjay in May.

Johnson Controls, which claims about 142,000 employees worldwide and recorded $34.3 billion in sales in 2010, argued that because it was a private company, the records should be considered confidential trade information. But the state board ruled the records should be released because the work was done for a public entity and was not confidential information.

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