Published Aug. 12, 2026at6:00amUpdated Aug. 12, 2026at1:43pm
In September 2023, independent journalist Jack Poulson published a story (opens in new tab) on Substack about Premise Data CEO Maury Blackman, who had been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence against his girlfriend.
Poulson obtained the police report through a confidential source and published the details without knowing that a court had sealed the records after Blackman’s girlfriend retracted her claims. Prosecutors did not charge Blackman.
Blackman’s lawyer sought to have the piece removed from the web, writing a letter addressed to Poulson and Substack, citing Penal Code Section 851.92(c), which imposes penalties on the dissemination of sealed police reports. The piece stayed online.
Nearly a year after the story’s publication, the lawyer tried a different route: he asked the San Francisco city attorney’s office to enforce the law against Poulson and Substack and have the piece removed.