A secret procedural maneuver can be turned against the party who relied on it.

Evidence

It was Conway who came up with the idea of turning the barratry charge against Cheeseman. “It’s based on an in camera affidavit, a secret charge. The judge isn’t going to like it. I think he’ll be outraged by it. What if you make that the issue? Maybe it’ll get him angry at Cheeseman.” — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action, 479

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: how litigators weaponize procedural secrecy — in camera filings that backfire once exposed, and the strategic value of procedural outrage.
• XREF: Echoes the extralegal-reputation and private-arbitration material (<book_so_far> Opting out of the Legal System), where formal procedure and secrecy determine who bears risk. — connects to: Secret police provocation manufactured the resistance they claimed to suppress — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 948; A clever tactic can be defeated when adversaries study and counter it.

Broader Connections

• Secret police provocation manufactured the resistance they claimed to suppress #exemplifies (0.85) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 948
• A clever tactic can be defeated when adversaries study and counter it. #complicates (0.75)